


A Ren Story : Midnight Kiss

by Angelprincess01



Category: Karin | Chibi Vampire
Genre: Action & Romance, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-02-21 10:35:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 84,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2465135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelprincess01/pseuds/Angelprincess01
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ren doesn't just hate humans, he loathes them. Being blackmailed by one certainly wasn't what he was counting on. Junko on the other hand couldn't be more thrilled to have a vampire helping her. Ren X Oc</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Caught On Tape

|Shopping District, Night|

'So, that client wanted some nice fall pictures huh?' Junko thought to herself, kicking a pile of leaves out of the way. Her long scarf trailed behind her, collecting leaves in the delicate wool which she failed to notice. 'Even if he says that, it's pretty impossible to have an original shoot here. Highschoolers in love is a pretty common theme nowadays…' her thoughts continued as she watched a high school couple walking together. Not being able to resist the temptation, she ended up taking a picture of them either way, against the autumn – leaved background. '… and so is little kids playing with leaves… How am I supposed to get an original marketing photo here?' she thought again, kicking another pile of leaves.

She wiped the lens of her camera clean. It was her most prized possession, and the means to her survival for now. No matter what it took, she would get a great picture, and get paid in full. 'Alright, I can do this!'  
Looking around, she noticed a deserted smaller street. 'Oh, of course! If the main street is full of commonly used themes, then logic would dictate that the smaller unused street should contain many not so often used themes!'

Pleased with herself, she made her way to the street, purchasing some hot, strong coffee near a stand. Cup of coffee in one hand and camera in the other, she smiling made her way past a whole number of people that seemed to be in an equally good mood. Still, once she had reached the smaller street, there were no more people to be spotted.

"I suppose some scenic shots would be nice…" she mumbled, operating her camera with one hand, unable to put down the hot coffee somewhere. She took a few pictures, until a movement about 15 meters further caught her eye. She zoomed in, to see a pretty black – haired woman flirting with a guy who's bangs seemed to hang partly in front of his face.  
'Honestly…' she thought. 'Light green – grayish hair? What kind of fashion statement is that? Also… this feels a little bit like I'm some kind of perv. On the other hand, I'll just take the pictures now, and then ask them if it's okay if these get used! Great plan, Junko!' she congratulated herself.

Looking back at the couple, she could swear there was something about the man though. It seemed as if his teeth – no, his canines – were slightly longer than usual. She shook her head. 'Honestly… I've been watching those late – night vampire movies too much!'  
She looked back through her lens, her breath at once lodged firmly in her lunges. The man's canines weren't just bigger than expected, they were also growing. Her photographer instinct kicked in, and she started to click her camera. The woman in the man's arms fainted as he looked up straight in the camera. Dark golden eyes pierced hers as she could see the blood softly dripping from the man's teeth.

The second after that, he was standing right in front of her. Her blood pulse quickened as she started to panic. "My my, what have we here? A stray human girl, looking for trouble." He smiled, holding out his hand towards her. "Look into my – Aaaah!"

He screamed as she threw her scalding hot coffee in his face. Probably it wasn't as much pain that made him yell as it was anger and surprise. Still, Junko wasn't one to waste an opportunity. She turned around, and started to run away. The vampire growled, grabbing blindly after her as he attempted to grab her. Instead of getting her, he caught her scarf, pulling it from her neck.

"Ah, my scarf!" Junko cried out, looking back worried. 

The vampire was still trying to wipe away the hot coffee from his face. "Come back here, you stupid human!"

"No way!" she yelled, sprinting to the street, completely panicking by now. It was only a little bit, and she reached the shopping street that was filled with people. Without thinking she kept running, trying to get away from the man that had been definitely up to no good at all.

Ren used the scarf to pat away the remainder of the coffee that had scalded his skin. "Tch… not good." He muttered, glaring in the way the girl had run of. She had had a camera. And he had heard clicking sounds coming while he had been busy with his latest meal. He was smart enough to put two and two together, and reached a conclusion he did not like one bit.

"If this gets out, I'll be in trouble. Sheesh, this kind of thing should be happening to Karin, not to me." He continued muttering, looking back to the woman that was lying against the tree. He had panicked, and ended up getting too violent with his prey. He looked down at the scarf he still had in his hand, and brought it to his nose. He inhaled it's scent, memorizing it so he would be able to find that girl and erase her memories.  
Soon, he would see her again. His new prey.

|Junko's Apartment|

"Haaaah… haaaah… haaah…" she slammed the door shut behind her, feeling her heart hammering away in her chest. She couldn't think quite straight as she let her jacket fall to the floor. Subconsciously she placed her camera on the table, careful not to scratch it. Stumbling she managed to reach the kitchen, opening the crane so she could stick her head underneath the cool water. It helped a little to cool her heated face.  
"That's right…" she said, wiping her face with a towel. "I was just imagining things… Poor guy, I even threw coffee in his face, anyone would be angry then. I guess I overreacted." She took the camera, so she could look at the pictures and convince herself she had just been imagining it.

She hadn't been.

The fangs stood out so clear on the picture, she didn't even have to zoom in to see them better. "No way." She zoomed in, just to be sure. "No. Fucking. Way."  
She pushed the camera away from her, and jumped up. "This is bad, this is really, really, really bad! I saw a vampire! What am I going to do?" she started walking circles around the table, round and round and each times she turned she felt herself sinking lower in anguish.  
"He's going to kill me! I'm sure of it! Gyaaah, he'll probably rip me into a thousand tiny pieces and them I'm going to end up dead and I'll be buried and I'll never be able to finish my work!"

She grabbed a pillow and started to pluck on it in exasperation. "I need to think of something! I need to think of something really, really fast. But what's going to save me? There's nothing keeping that vampire from killing me…"  
Her eyes landed on the camera that was lying in the sofa. Perhaps she could use the picture she had taken to protect herself? The vampire probably wouldn't kill her if there was a chance that more people would find out about his identity. She reached for her neck so she could pull her scarf a little, before she realized that the vampire had ripped it off. "Stealing my scarf like that… he had some nerve for a vampire!" she said, trying to cheer herself up a little bit.

She sank in her couch, holding her head between her hands. "I'm just doomed."

|The Maaka Residence, Morning|

"Ren – niichan!" Karin said, surprised at seeing her big brother lying in the couch. The man was awake, and seemed to be staring intently at a scarf. He looked up to see his sister, and gave a grunt to acknowledge he had seen her. Karin came a little bit closer, but made sure to keep her distance from her ill – tempered brother.  
"Is something wrong, nii – chan? It's unusual for you to be home, and you're even sleeping on the couch instead of in your coffin."

"Nothing that would concern a brat." He mumbled, before he looked back at the scarf. Karin shivered when she saw that look, which she knew all too well. It was the look he got in his eyes when he was about to assault her again, lifting her up by her head so her feet couldn't touch the ground.

"I'm just being worried about my big brother, like a sister should do…" she mumbled. 

Ren got up from the couch, glaring at his sister. "Are you going to continue talking like that, or are you going to run off to your human school where I can't get my hands on you?" he asked menacingly, showing of a canine with a smile. Karin let out an 'eek' before she ran away, her hands firmly around her bag. Ren watched her run off, before diverting his attention again to the scarf. It was an old thing, and he had spent an hour picking all of the leaves out of it so they wouldn't interfere with the smell.

"That girl, throwing coffee in my face as if I was some unwanted pushy guy that doesn't know how to quit!" Ren grumbled to himself, pacing around the living room. "Treating me like some third – rate scumbag!" he strangled the scarf in order to relieve some stress.

He hadn't even gotten a good look at the girl's face. The only thing he knew was that she had long hair. He did like long hair, so if she ended up looking cute he might even have some fun. With a little luck, the situation could turn in his advantage.  
He scratched the back of his hair, and went to the kitchen. The situation bother him more than he cared to admit. Because, when you really thought about it… he had just been turned down flat. Not just flat, the coffee in his face had been a clear enough hint that his charms didn't cut it. The whole situation was just a big stab to his ego.

He clenched a fist, looking for a glass in the kitchen. "That stupid human, running away like that and leaving me standing there! I'll make her pay for that!" He gulped down his water, but was squeezing it too hard, making the glass shatter. "Gah!" was the only thing Ren could manage to bring out as he started to pick the glass out. "Stupid… I'll have to take care of this pretty soon, if I want to be able to enjoy my life again."

|The shopping District, Midnight|

Junko rubbed her hands together, not being sure what she was hoping to accomplish by coming here the day after the incident. She took a bite from the chocolate bar in her one hand, and then a sip from the hot chocolate in her other hand. It calmed her down a bit, but she was still on edge. "The sooner I get this all over with, the sooner I'll be able to return to a normal life. And, if everything works out, that vampire will have no choice but to help me out! I just need to make sure I survive this night. That's all."

Ren walked in the street where he had last seen the girl, though he had little hopes of finding her. What were the odds of harried prey returning to the scene of the hunt? Still, this was the place where he had the best hopes of finding the one who had found out about his secret. If he ever want to get back to his easy days of loving women and feeding of them, this had to be handled first. He smelled the scarf he had wrapped around his neck again. Her smell was pleasant, a sure sign that the girl had been stressed for a period of time when she had been wearing that scarf.  
He considered that to be a good omen.

He blinked when he sniffed the air. "That can't be! She's stupid enough to return here?" he looked around, trying to see her. Things would have been easier if he had been able to see her properly. There were too many women with long hair here, and their smells overpowered the one he was searching for.  
Somebody tapped his shoulder. He turned around, expecting a cute girl who would be asking him to hang out. As he looked down, the girl that had tapped his shoulder seemed to be insecure. Finally she spoke up. "You're… the vampire, right?" she asked softly, so nobody could hear her. At once Ren's breath was caught up in his throat.

Instead of speaking, he grabbed her by the hair. Panic arose in her eyes as her body stiffened, and she attempted to beat him off. "Hey, this is a public space, don't do anything funny, okay!" 

He said nothing, instead bringing the lock of hair to his nose. She let out a small yelp as he sniffed it, dropping her food on the ground.

"You're the woman that interrupted me yesterday!" he said, glaring at her. 

She gulped, but then she noticed the scarf he had around his neck. "My scarf!" she said, attempting to grab it. Ren grabbed her hands before she was able to reach.

"If you don't mind, I would prefer not being touched by a filthy human as yourself." 

Junko huffed when he said that. "'Really now? You seemed to be fine being touched by a human just yesterday night. What are you, some kind of playboy vamp –"

He placed a hand over her mouth, smiling at people walking by to make it seem like a lover's quarrel. "Can you stop saying that word so much in public?" he said, not so much being worried about how she said it so easily but that the girl had in fact accepted the existence of vampires so easily.

She slapped his hand away, removing herself from his presence. "If you give me back my scarf I will!"

Ren sighed. Apparently the scarf was important enough for the girl to make a fuss about it. He took it off and gave it back. He hated women screaming at him, after all. When breaking up, he made sure to simply disappear, so they wouldn't be able to find him.

Junko accepted it, and put it back on. The girl was experiencing some pretty hefty stress, he could make that much out. Still, the stress factor dropped considerably when he handed her back the scarf. "Thanks." She said, not looking at him. She cleared her throat, before talking again. "Say… would you like to come to my place?"

Ren didn't believe his ears. This would be even easier than he had thought.

|Junko's home, 2 am|

She opened the door, letting Ren step in before she followed. At once he turned to her, grabbing her face as he looked down on her. "You're not the type I usually fancy, but it's not a bad if it's only one night, right?"

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Well, the reason you invited me to your apartment. Obviously you just wanted to have sex with a vampire. That's okay. Afterwards I'll just –"

He was cut off as her fist collided with his jaw. He stumbled backwards out of surprise. "What the hell? Is this your idea of foreplay?"

"What the hell are you thinking?" Junko asked, blushing fiercely. "Suggesting a one – night stand so easily, you really are a playboy vampire! That wasn't why I invited you at all!"

Ren got up, glaring at the woman in front of him. "If that's the case, I'll just –"

"And you can't kill me either!" she snapped at him, her stress going to unexpected heights. To Ren, she seemed to be getting more and more like one of the best meals he could ever have. Still, he wasn't able to focus on that now.  
"Kill you? Idiot woman, I was only going to erase your memory!"

"Ah?" she asked, as she stopped yelling. "You're not going to kill me?" At once she relaxed again. "Ahahaha… silly me." She said, scratching the back of her head. "Guess I've been watching too many movies."

"You really thought I was going to kill you?" Ren asked, not believing what she had just said. Humans really did think of vampires as monsters after all.

Junko looked away, clearly embarrassed about the situation. "Ah well, it's just that you were looking so scary last night when I ran away, I thought for sure you would get revenge by ripping me apart."

"You threw a cup of steaming hot coffee in my face! How was I supposed to react at something like that then? Now, just hold still, and I'll make you forget all about this."

"I told you, you can't!" she said, shoving a picture in his outstretched hand. 

Ren paused, taking the picture in order to take a closer look at it. "This is –" It was an enlarged picture of him, about to sink his fangs in the woman from last night. He crumpled it, showing a smirk to the woman in front of him. "How stupid of you, handing me the only thing protecting you."

Junko pulled out a dozen more pictures from her back pocket. Ren snatched them, ripping them to shreds. She picked a picture up from her desk, holding it out to him. It met the same fate as the previous ones. She smiled softly at him. "There are a lot more, all over this house. If you can find every last copy, I'll let you erase my memory!"

|1 Hour Later|

"This… has to be the last one…" Ren panted, ripping the picture to shreds. That annoying woman was sitting in the sofa, taking notes on which ones he had found. 

With a smile Junko shook her head. "Oh, you're not even close, dear vampire – san. But you can still try to erase my memory. Only, if I were to find a picture of you biting someone, I might end up remembering everything again. Wouldn't that be troublesome?" she asked, still smiling.

Ren was completely mortified. "You have to be a demon. It's not possible for even a human to be this evil."

Junko directed her gaze towards Ren, suddenly far more serious. "Then, will you listen to my proposal?"

Ren glared at her, before sitting in one of the padded chairs so he could rest a bit. "Sure. I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Then, I would you like you to help me complete my dream. I'm sure that you will be able to help me out, since you're a vampire."

'What do you need help with?' Ren asked, feeling more and more down with the minute.

"I'm writing a book. Vampires live very long lives, don't they? Furthermore, they're more objective about humans than we are ourselves. Therefore, I think you would be the perfect person to help me write that book. You can proofread it, give helpful suggestions…"

"You need a vampire to help you write a book?" Ren asked, not believing his pointy ears. 

Junko nodded, seemingly happy that he seemed to get the point. "Yes, that's it. If you help me, I'll never tell a living soul about you. I promise."

Ren sighed. "I doubt I'll be of much help to you, but you've got me in a grip with that picture. Fine, I'll help you. But you had better not be taking up all my time!"

Junko smiled. "I won't. Then, let's be good partners from now on. My name is Junko. Junko Akane. Nice to meet you!"

Ren shivered. 'It's a demon, I'm sure of it.' He thought to himself.


	2. Sisterly Suspects

|Junko's Home, One Day Later,Around 2.30 Am|

"And what is this supposed to be?" Ren asked in a way that suggested the little piece of paper Junko had handed him had personally offended him by telling a poor 'yo momma' joke. On it was printed out in an orderly fashion a whole time schedule.

Junko stood on her tiptoes, pointing at the neatly colored parts on the paper. "These are my working hours. I have work from noon to around 11 in the evening, and I usually stay up 'till it's about 3 in the morning. So it would be nice if you could drop in between midnight and when I go to sleep."

Ren crumpled the piece of paper, growling at the woman. "And what about my social life?" he snarled, not happy with the current circumstances. "How am I supposed to feed properly?"

"I'm sure you'll be able to still have a good life, even if you have to spend a few measly hours every day with me." Junko replied, not getting Ren's problem at all. 

The vampire let out a dejected sigh, pointing to the night sky in a manner that suggested he was seriously considering storming out of the apartment. "Listen, I like to have a nice life filled with women who I can feed off. Unless you're suggesting that you don't mind filling in for a few dozen women, you need to change this schedule!"

Junko's face took on an appalled expression. "What, you mean substituting as your meal and your sex partner? I think not, thank you very much."  
She took a sip of the hot coco she had prepared for herself. "And you are still perfectly capable of keeping your current lifestyle, it's not like I'm asking you to spend the entire night with me. And you can take Saturdays off, how does that sound?" she asked, in an attempt to get the agitated vampire to relax.

Ren dropped down in a sofa, glaring at the woman sitting there, pretending to be innocent. "Your parents picked the wrong name for you…" he mumbled. "Something like Akuma would've much better suited your character."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Oh please, don't be like that. As if any parent would go around calling their child 'demon'. Which brings me to an important point, what are vampire parents like?" she asked, eager to obtain some more information for her book. 

Ren let out a sigh. "Fine, I'll tell you. But I'm leaving in half an hour. So, vampire parents are…"

|Thursday, 8 PM|

Junko walked around on the streets, once again having been sent out to get some good pictures for the magazine. Her boss, Tanaka, had sent her off in a jovial manner. Coincidence had it that the man also lived in her apartment building, allowing him to even contact her outside of the usual office hours. He was kind enough, even if he didn't actually talk that much. A young girl suddenly bumped into her, her briefcase pressed against her chest.  
The girl's dark brown hair had a purplish sheen, and her dark brown eyes looked up tearful at the woman she had bumped into. Blood was softly running from her nose, which was probably the reason for the girl's distress.

Yes, Karin Maaka had once again succeeded in making a fool out of herself. Though this was only a minor blood rush, it still was enough to make her cry out in embarrassment. Life wasn't easy for a blood making vampire, as was once again proven. Looking at the woman in front of her, she couldn't help but cry even more.  
Junko bent over, pulling out a white handkerchief to wipe the girl's nose with. Though she was hardly three, perhaps four years older, the girl looked so miserable she couldn't help but take pity.  
Karin froze up when the kerchief reached her nose, but she quickly took it, dapping away the small scarlet specks of blood.

"Thanks…" she muttered, blushing fiercely. 

Junko helped her get up, concerned about the young girl's current state. "My my, you seem like you've had a rough time just now. Let's get off the streets, and I'll buy you a drink so you can relax a bit, okay?"  
Karin hadn't much energy left to protest, following the strange woman. Even if this person wasn't to be trusted – though the thought never passed Karin's mind – Anju's bats were all over the place, keeping an eye on her sister.

One of them was keeping an eye on Karin who entered the café just now, and Anku followed it's movements with great care. Her sister had once again encountered trouble, although it seemed that this time there wouldn't be any need for her to rush out at full speed. Ren passed the living room, and noted the absent-minded way his youngest sister was staring in front of her.

"You're going to exhaust yourself if you keep following Karin like that." He warned her, not sounding nearly as worried as he actually was. Anju let out a 'hm…' sound, indicating that she had heard Ren. He sighed, and let himself fall down next to Anju in the sofa. He didn't have much time to loiter around if he was to feed and be able to meet that irritating, blackmailing demon girl, but when it came to his little sisters he did manage to spare some time.

"What happened?" he asked Anju, who was holding Bge pressed to her chest. The doll gave him the creeps, being the human spirit of a serial murderer. 

Now the doll's mouth clappered open, answering instead of its master. "That dumb cow Karin had a blood nose again, and now she's being treated to a cup of hot chocolate by some human girl." The doll grunted when Anju pressed its belly hard, sending pain throughout the captured spirit's essence.

"Big sister is safe, for now." She mumbled. "Can you stay here, Ren – niisan? Neechan probably won't be able to make it home alone in a safe manner."

Ren rolled his eyes at the incompetence of the middle child of the family. She was lucky their mother and father were currently out, otherwise they would've thrown a fit again. Not that he minded. A sister who made blood and could run in the sun… getting too attached to such a person would prove no good for a creature of the night. He loathed the sun, and thus all those who walked beneath it without realizing how parching it made the world for a full-fledged vampire. If that meant he was not allowed to love a sister of his… he had resigned himself to that a long time ago, instead turning his brotherly affections to Anju, who was just like him. "I'll stay." He said, picking up a book from the table.

"What happened?" Junko asked the girl that was sitting in front of her. 

The girl wiped away her tears with the now bloodstained handkerchief, leaving red streaks on her face. The girl shook her head, as though she didn't want to think about it. "My nose bleeds an awful lot… and I can't do anything about it." The girl explained.

Junko sensed that the girl was probably not telling everything there was to tell, but she decided not to press the matter. "Well, my name is Junko Akane. I'm happy that there isn't anything serious going on. Although you should do your best to avoid situations where you get a bloody nose." She advised the girl.

The girl's eyes started to tear up a little bit. "I'm trying, you know? But it's really hard, and I can't do anything about it and…" the girl started blubbering again, wiping her face with the blood-stained kerchief even more.

"Okay, it's okay…" Junko tried to sound reassuring, but she didn't know what to do with just a waterfall of tears. "Why don't you tell me your name?" she asked the girl. 

"It's Karin… Karin Maaka…" the girl mumbled, starting to calm down a bit again. 

Junko smiled. "How funny. It would seem that both of our names have to do with the color red. Our meeting today must have been intended from before."

Karin let out a smile, before looking at the clock in the bar. "It's already 9.30! I should be getting home!" 

Junko smiled also, getting up. "Well, let me walk you part of the way, okay? You shouldn't be out and about on your own this late in the evening. You could be in danger."

Karin nodded, thankful for the woman's offer. "Thank you, Akane – chan." She said, grabbing her bag. "They'll probably be wondering where I am at home, so we should hurry though!" 

Junko nodded, grabbing her camera and winking at the girl. "Don't worry Maaka –chan! We'll get there on time, you can count on me for that!"

|One hour later… unknown location.|

"Sooooo… we're lost, aren't we?" Junko asked, looking around in a worried fashion. 

Karin nodded, slumping against a wall. "I'm sorry… I was worrying so much about my situation that I forgot to pay attention to where we were going."

"It's okay." Junko said, trying to console the girl by patting her on the shoulder. "It's not like anything bad could happen, right?" Karin nodded, relieved that she had another person with her in a time like this. Somebody suddenly put a hand on her shoulder, making her yelp in fear. "Pervert!" Junko yelled, slapping the stranger in the face.

"Gah! Can you stop hurting me, GODDAMMIT!" Ren snarled, comforting his hurt cheek. 

"Ren!" Junko called out, somehow relieved it was the vampire. "Thank goodness, I was starting to think it was some other pervert."

"And I'd appreciate it if you would stop calling me a pervert as well." Ren replied dryly. "I should've known you were the person that my sister ran into, a misfortune never comes alone."

"Your little sister?" Junko exclaimed, having seen no family resemblance at all.

"Big brother, you know Akane – chan?" Karin asked, not having tagged the woman as Ren's type. The girl started blushing something fierce when she realized that she was probably one of Ren's feeding partners. "Akane – chan, are you one of Ren's girlfriends?" she asked the girl.

Junko frowned, seemingly appalled at the idea. "Dear gods no! We're simply… colleagues, if you need a word for it."

Ren's mouth twisted as if he had just eaten a lemon. "Colleagues.." he agreed, trying to seem convincing towards Karin. Even Karin, however slow she was to catch on, did understand that her brother wasn't telling all there was to tell. She kept her mouth shut however, not wishing to get another earful, and especially not in public. Still, the way Ren's eyes seemed to be on the point of turning the blood red that was characteristic of a vampire's rage.  
"I will see you later, colleague…" Ren said, keeping his tongue in check, although barely. If anything he wanted to erase that annoying human's memory, and perhaps drink her blood just to make up for lost time. What he did not want was to be forced once again to tell her all the vampire secrets so she could write an idiotic love story that had no way of happening.

Just as he was about to warn her to stay away from Karin, his insolent little sister spoke up. "Akane – chan… Let's meet up again? It's rare for me to meet someone who' so calm about my… affliction. I'd like to talk again…" the girl mumbled, feeling embarrassed to say something like that out loud.

Junko didn't seem to mind, instead pulling out a business card, handing it to the girl. Ren reached out to grab it, only to get his hand slapped by Junko. "No! I'll give you my number later on Ren, but don't you dare take that number away from your sister. This is between girls, okay?"

"Don't you start 'okaying' me!" Ren snapped, grabbing Karin by the shoulder without any regard for the girl. She let out a yelp when Ren's nails dug in her shoulder, but knew better than to struggle loose. "And I do not want to associate you with my family any further!"

Junko ignored him as she turned around and walked away. She waved behind her as she did so, her voice ringing out behind her. "Maaka – chan, be sure to give me a call if you need someone to help you out! Oh, and Ren, be sure to be on time tonight!"

Karin kept quiet, seeing the girl walk off. Ren's pupils had reverted to narrow slits, not unlike those of a cat. She hid the card in her back pocket, hoping Ren wouldn't ask for it again. Her older brother grabbed her by the shoulder, dragging her along. "Let's get you home. You'll have school soon."

|The Maaka Residence|

"I'm leaving." Ren said, adjusting his shirt in the mirror and stroking his hair so it fell just right. If he was lucky he would be able to get a quick bite before arriving at Junko's. Anju was standing behind him, her long silvery hair unbound by ribbons or other adornments. Bge was resting in her arms as she let her eyes rest upon her older brother in the kind of way that suggested she already suspected something.

"Ren – niisan…" she said, her soft voice sounding from behind him. 

He watched his youngest sister in the mirror, wondering what she wanted of him. "Yeah?"

"Junko Akane – san… what is she to you?" she asked, although she already suspected an answer. Regardless of Ren's answer, she would send her bats out to stalk him in the pitch-black night, towards the residence of the person that had shown kindness to her beloved older sister. For a day-walker, it had been an unexpected thing to do, even for another human.

"That demon girl?" Ren asked, half-snorting in frustration. Already the annoying questions came, which he would have to dodge lest anyone figure out he had been the one that had spilled the truth about vampires living in the town. He cast Anju a glance over his shoulder, once again marveling at the maturity that the youngest Maaka child displayed so often. "She's just some girl I'm toying with. It won't last long, I can assure you that."

No matter the words, Anju already noticed that her older brother's tone of speech betrayed that it was more a wish than an actual fact. She did not press the matter, instead turning around towards the house, hoping their parents would soon be home. She disliked the feeling of an empty house. Even though her sister was there, Karin would already be sleeping, regaining her strengths for another day underneath the scorching heat of the sun. A day in which she could not follow so easily, no matter how she wished for it.

"Come back soon." She said softly as the door closed behind her, shutting Ren off from her as he went to see that human woman. Leaving her alone in a house that seemed to be getting emptier and emptier as time went on. With a decisive look she sat down on the stairs, focusing instead on her bats who were following her brother. Even if he had a secret, she had her reasons for wanting to know. Even if it meant making him mad.

|Junko's Home|

"Well, there you are! Do you know how late it is?" Junko asked, a dismayed look on her face as she let Ren enter her apartment. 

From the corner of her eye she spotted her boss, Tanaka, just coming out of his door. "Junko – chan, how are you doing?"

"Ah, Mister Tanaka, you're up awfully late as well. Please take care not to become sick." She said, being pleased that she had such a kind boss. 

The man showed her a smile, gesturing to her door. "Do you have a boyfriend now, Junko –chan?" he asked.

Junko shook her head, not being happy as such a personal question was asked. Still, Tanaka had his privileges as her supervisor. "Ah, he's just an informant sir. Nothing special."

Tanaka nodded, flashing her another smile. "I see. Have a good night, Junko. Don't stay up too late."

Junko closed the door behind her, letting out a sigh. "Some people just have to know everything, don't they?" she muttered, before turning her eyes on Ren. He was standing near the coffee table, his eyes scanning the papers filled with the information she had gotten from him. Though it was not nearly enough to start her story, already something was taking form. The kind of story that would make young women swoon at the thought of a fair-skinned vampire come to take them from their homes and lead an interesting life.  
The thing that would make her story different was that she would have all the facts. Her story would resemble the truth more than any other story out there, enabling her to earn enough money so she could leave Japan once and for all.

Ren looked at her as she neared, seemingly as annoyed as ever. "Took you long enough too." He said, hinting at the short exchange of words she had had with her boss. 

She pouted, not happy with the remark. "He's my boss. It's not like I could refuse to talk to him either. So, how about you tell me some more about vampires?"

Ren smirked, striking his hair behind his ear as he leant back in the sofa. "What are you going to write, exactly?"

"A love story. Between a human and a vampire, only this one will be truthful."

Ren's smirk grew wider as he considered that thought. "What a poor love story that would make… after all, a love between a human and a vampire is something that can never be."


	3. Bloodthirst

|On the Way Home|

"Love between a vampire and a human can never be, huh?" Junko asked herself out loud. Another month had passed since she had met Ren, a month in which he had grown increasingly more annoyed as the amount of paper on her desk grew. Still the vampire laughed out loud each time he read a part of her story, making her grow increasingly reluctant about showing it to him. And yet, she thought the idea of her story to be endearing, and something to daydream about. Ren had compared it to a human dating a salmon or a steak.

She let out a dejected sigh as she thought about it. Ren was a hard character to deal with, even though she was sure many of his girlfriends loved the way he acted. She would admit he was attractive enough, if the vampire was outside of hearing range, but she did not see what was so interesting in a bad-mouthed, insulting guy like that.

"Then again… I am probably the only human he acts like that against. Well, me and male humans…" she thought, getting dejected again by the thought. She didn't know if the way he treated her was a good or a bad thing. A sound behind her startled her, causing her to turn around quickly. She thought she saw a flash of white behind a tree, but her attention was quickly averted by a man who walked up to her briskly.

"Chief Tanaka! How nice to see you. I thought you had departed an hour ahead of me." Junko said, forcing a smile on her face. Though her chief was kind, at times he was a bit too caring, to the point she felt uncomfortable.

The man pushed up his dark-rimmed glasses, throwing the young woman an appreciative look. "Miss Junko, what a delightful surprise. I had gotten delayed, and it would seem like I have been in luck being so, now that I can meet you. Have you had dinner already?" he asked her, hinting that he would be happy to treat her if she so desired.

She shook her head. "No thank you, sir. I have not the time, I need to be home soon."

"To let your friend in?" Tanaka asked, looking at her sideways. Junko nodded, having long given up on claiming that Ren was not her boyfriend. In some ways, it was better that the man did think so. At least she would not have to worry about any of her co-workers trying to get very friendly with her. A steady relationship was one thing she did not need, as she planned to leave Japan as soon as she had enough money.

Her boss laid a hand on her shoulder. Her heart started to beat faster, preparing her if she had to run away from him. What he said didn't help her relax at all either. "Junko, please be careful when you're walking around here late. There have been rumors going around about a person who has been attacking young women. The police suspect he may have killed one too."

"I… have not yet seen such a story in the papers, sir." Junko said, speeding up her pace, hoping the man would let go of her shoulder. Her chief nodded, keeping up with her, and releasing her shoulder.

"I know. I have connections with the police chief, he told me to keep it quiet for now. But if you might be in danger, Junko, I have to speak up."

They had now reached her apartment building, and got into the elevator. Junko and Tanaka rode out the elevator ride in silence. As they got out, Tanaka touched her arm, looking her once again in the eyes.

"Thank you for the warning, chief Tanaka." She said, putting a slight emphasis on his title, so he would remember his and her place. She wanted to avoid any romantic relationship, and certainly with her supervisor. The man ignored her comment as he laid eyes on Ren, who was waiting in front of her door. He let go of her arm, and waved goodbye as he continued towards his door.

Ren's face slightly distorted as the man walked by, as if he had smelled something filthy. Junko slightly nudged him, calling Ren's attention to her.

"Don't stare at my boss like that. It's bad enough that he's already having suspicions." She added the last part mumbling as she turned her key in the lock. She entered, Ren following after her as he threw one last look in the hallway. His golden eyes met the brown eyes of his torturer's boss. He smiled at the man, who had the smell of something familiar, yet alien. Tanaka seemed to be taken aback by the smile, which seemed menacing at least. Though Ren held no interest in Junko, it still seemed best to him if the man understood that the girl belonged to Ren.

Breaking the glare, he moved further inside, letting the door fall in the lock behind him. He disliked the man on an instinctive level. Though he appeared to be docile, there seemed to somehow be a predator inside of the chief. As Ren unconsciously bared his fangs, he already knew which one of the two was the better hunter. He vaguely hoped for a chance to prove it.

|Junko's Home|

"Care for some tea, Ren?" Junko asked, already taking out the water boiler. Ren walked over to his usual spot, dropping in the couch, feet outstretched in front of him on the small table. Even with her back turned to him, Junko knew he would be resting his head on one hand, the other hand playing with a random item he happened to grab at the moment. His golden eyes would be following her around the apartment whenever she got up to take this or that item, and sometimes he would smirk when she said something he found idiotic.

After about two hours, he would be too bored to continue and leave, going on the hunt. She would be left alone in the apartment, working on her manuscript, adding details to it. It was a strange sort of a way to handle each other, but it worked, at least for now.

"No." he said bluntly, picking up the remote control he found lying about. He flipped the television on, keeping his eyes fixated on the news report. He had been feeling ill lately. The time he spent with Junko was only two hours, but that left him so little time to pick up women. Charming an unknown woman was something he preferred most, so he could sample new blood. But the decrease in his available time meant he had to revert to old girlfriends.

Most of them were happy enough to see him, and even the ones that weren't were soon won over. But he could only keep it up for so long, as the stress the women harbored in their bodies was running out quickly. Christmas would be the best time for him to regain his strengths. He had already been contacting a few women about a possible date, and he would be able to eat his fill then. Still, it was yet another month away.

Junko sat down in front of the pensive Ren, holding her cup of tea in her hands. Following his gaze to the weather report, she was delighted to see that there was snow on the way. She had loved snow, ever since she had been a child, as had her mother before she passed away.  
"Do vampires celebrate Christmas?" she asked, to fill the silence. Ren's eyes went from the television screen to Junko, and back to the television.

"We do." He answered. "Though we just drink more blood than we usually do. It's not like we go out to play in the snow or something."

"Not even your sister?" Junko asked, still curious about the girl. The few bits of information she had been able to get from Ren had given her some clues. Karin could walk in the sun, even though she was a vampire. It seemed marvelous to Junko, even though Ren insisted it was nothing to be happy about.

"My sister is working that day, selling cakes near Julian's." Ren mumbled, seeing that the following days would be overcast. It was good news, since it meant he wouldn't have to spend the day waiting in his current meal's apartment.

Junko smiled, thinking she might go and pick up a cake when it was that time. Ren didn't ask for her Christmas plans, and she was grateful for it. Telling the womanizer she would be spending Christmas alone would surely trigger more rude comments.

As she reached for her laptop, her phone began ringing. Not her cell phone, but the one that she had installed in her apartment just in case. She never used it, and it was a number that couldn't be found in the phone book.  
Not a single person knew the number, ever since her mother had passed. She had only kept it for sentimental reasons. She got up, not really believing that the phone was indeed ringing. Perhaps it was only her imagination. Junko could feel Ren's eyes following her every movement, so she forced herself to act natural. Still she could not stop her heart from beating so horribly fast. She watched as her hand touched the phone, picking it up.

"Hello?" she asked, turning her back to Ren. She could almost feel the person on the other side of the line smile, in a manner that reminded one of a cat finding a fish that was freshly caught.

"Junko… my sweet daughter, how are you?" the man on the other side of the line asked. His voice was heavy, and sounded as if he were in good spirits. Junko's fingers started trembling, but she forced herself to keep her voice even.

"I was fine until you called. What do you want?" she asked the man. She refused to accept him as her father. For all that mattered to her, he was just the man who had sired her. Her fingers played with the phone cord as she tried to stop her heart from beating so loud. The paranoid thought came across her that the man could probably hear it beating.

"I just wished to hear my daughter's voice, that's all. And to inquire about your holiday plans, though it is a bit early for that."

"Yes, it is quite early." Junko answered him.

"Are you celebrating Christmas with your new friend? He seems to be a rather handsome fellow, from what I have been seeing. Such golden eyes, I can see why you chose him. The eyes tell much about a man…" her father told her the news in a tone that made Junko's blood freeze in her veins. How did that man know? How did he know about Ren? He had come to the most obvious conclusion, but it also mean he had had men watching her. How long had they been watching, and what did they know?

"Listen, I-" her voice was cut off when suddenly Ren's hand appeared, taking the phone from her hand. She stood there, back turned to him as if she had been frozen on the spot. Ren's voice, deep and masculine, sounded behind her.

"She's busy right now." He hung up. Just like that, he hung up. She turned around, wishing to thank him for that. But as soon as her face met his, she could see the red glow in his eyes, and how his pupils had transformed into those of a cat. His fangs also seemed longer than she remembered, and she realized how close he was standing.  
Stress. His favorite blood type, and something she was sure to have a lot of at the moment. She became very aware of her own body, and that of the vampire. How the blood must be surging through her veins, an invite to the hungry vampire. He came closer, forcing her back. She couldn't retreat, the wall stopped her. How suddenly he had reverted into a predator, moving in to capture her.

"Ren… Ren, stop this!" she said, pushing her hands against his chest. She averted her eyes from his gaze, knowing he would try to somehow hypnotize her. Junko's knees felt as if they could cave in underneath her any moment, but if that happened she surely, surely would lose to the vampire. He remained silent, grabbing her wrists and pushing them against the wall, next to her head. He was strong, too strong for her or for any other mortal being.

He brought his mouth closer to her neck. She whimpered at the thought of it, and even more at the thought that she was now being treated as food. His fangs slowly grazed her soft, pale skin, leaving the moisture of saliva resting upon her neck. He was so close to biting her now, she could almost already feel the way his teeth would puncture her skin, ready to suck at her blood.

"Ren, stop this now!" she demanded, hoping to somehow get through to him. He didn't listen, and she reverted to the only thing she could think of. She brought up her knee, driving it in his groin. The red light in his eyes disappeared, and he released her at once, cursing her.

"Stupid woman! What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snarled at her. His eyes had taken on their usual color again, the length of his fangs normal again.

"What am I doing? What the hell were you doing?" she asked, furious at what he had just tried. More importantly, the anger drove the fear out, the heart-wrenching fear she had felt when she realized that to Ren she was just prey. "You were trying to bite me! Me! I'm the one who should be outraged here, not you!" 

Ren looked at her as if he only now realized what he had attempted. He stormed out of the door, striding as far away from the apartment as he could. As he left, Junko watched him go, finally dropping to her knees. Ren would come back, eventually. He was a man of his word, but for now, he needed to calm down and feed. Junko understood. It was an understanding that few people could muster, and as she walked towards her door to lock it, there was one thing she was quite certain about. Ren would not leave behind a girl that was able to expose his secret.  
She regretted having to use him, but the phone call that had been ended so abruptly had only strengthened her belief. The sooner she left Japan, the better of she would be.

|On the Streets|

Ren stomped away, instead of walking in his usual, slow manner. That girl… how, why did she manage to somehow hurt him every single time? His crotch still hurt, but it had been the only way she could get him away. He understood, but at the same time he wished she would have just let him bite her!  
He leant against a lamp post, watching people walk by as he thought about what had happened. While she had been talking on the phone, the rise in stress had been too much for him to bear. He had tried to ignore it the best he could, but his hungry body had taken over control.

She was the last person he wanted to bite! An annoying woman like she, who he often compared to be a demon or a devil, who would want to bite something like that? And yet, her blood so often sung to him. The girl didn't realize it perhaps, but every ounce of her was filled to the brim with stress. If he were to bite her once, only once, it would be so much easier on his nerves. But, in order to bite her, he would need her permission, unless he wanted another kick in the groin.

If he were to act friendly with the girl, perhaps romance her… no, he dismissed the thought with the same speed it had come up in his mind. No woman was eager to share a boyfriend, and the only reason he was able to feed properly was that he managed to keep his girlfriends far apart from one another. Junko already knew about his feeding habits, and had made it clear to him that she didn't want to be any part of it.

And still, though he had no hope of swaying the young woman's mind, he was forced to return to her every single day, for the collar she had wrapped around his neck was too heavy to ignore. She was friendly enough to him, which made matters even worse for the vampire who despised humans out of principle.

No matter how friendly she was, she still had been frightened to death when he was trying to bite her. Probably she now thought of him as some kind of monster. That thought put a sudden stab in his heart, for no matter how much he wanted to hate Junko, she was the first human who knew what he was and didn't care. Well, she did care, but she didn't make a fuss about it. Every other woman who had known had started crying, and screaming until he erased their memories.

Junko was now probably also crying.

He felt guilty for that, he realized. He was behaving silly, he also knew that. Why would he care for the tears of some mortal woman, who caused nothing but trouble for him?

Suddenly a girl tapped his shoulder, smiling at him. He gave her a quick sly grin, for he recognized her. She had shared his bed three nights ago, and he hadn't quite drunk his fill of her blood.

"Ren-kun! You haven't called me back yet!" she said accusingly.

Ren smiled, running a hand through his hair. "Sadly, I had business keeping me busy, dear Rin. But rest assured, this night I shall be yours, and yours alone."

It was better if he put Junko out of his mind, if only for one night. The sooner he got rid of her, the better.


	4. A Sweet Kiss

|The Hospital|

"Junko, you know I can't do that!" the young nurse, Misako, said. Her brown eyes glanced back and forth the hallway, trying to determine if somebody had heard what they were talking about. When she looked back at Junko, she frowned.  
"People will notice if blood packets are missing. What do you need them for anyway? Did you turn into a vampire all of a sudden?"

Junko laughed, uncomfortable at how close her friend had gotten to the truth. The blood packets weren't for her, but for Ren. The vampire had been taking more and more time away from her, to the point where she only saw him two or three times each week. If she could supply him with blood, he wouldn't have to go hunting all that often.

"No, not really. Look, it's a pretty big secret, so I'd appreciate it if you kept this between us. And people don't need to find out, as long as you work some numbers on the computer. What harm could I do with blood packets after all? I'm not asking you to sell me some morphine." Junko said, hoping that Misako would understand her plead.

The woman ran a hand through her short hair, looking around again. What Junko said made sense, and she could use the money now that her daughter had started school. And how much damage could be done if she sold some blood packets on the side? There were donors enough, and they never needed much blood.

"Well, I guess I could let you have some… but the moment it looks like people are going to find, I'm quitting. And so should you. You have a nice job, and it wouldn't do involving your company in some weird scandal."

Junko hugged the girl, delighted at having heard that. "You won't regret this, Misako! How many blood packets can you give me now?"

Misako looked at the list she had in her hand, and frowned. "Well, do you want a specific blood type, since we're running a little short on the AB type. If you're looking for that I'll only be able to give you two packets. We have plenty of the other types though."

Junko couldn't believe her luck. Even if the blood didn't fit Ren's taste – the odds of people suffering severe stress when having their blood taken were slim at best – at least it would be nourishment for the vampire. The plan was genius in its simplicity, and the vampire would do best to get on his bare knees to thank her for it.  
"I'll take anything you can miss at the moment. You can keep the AB's if you can't miss them, and I'll pay you right now." Junko said, clapping her hands together in joy.

Twenty minutes later she walked out of the hospital, her backpack filled to the brim with blood packets. It was heavy, and she felt pretty conspicuous walking around with a massive amount of blood on her back, but at least it was worth the effort. Ren would be able to spend more time with her, and soon she would be able to at last start the final drafts of her novel.

"Akane-neesan." A small voice sounded behind her, soft and sounding like it belonged to an adult.

When Junko turned around, she saw a small girl standing behind her, perhaps twelve years old. Long, silver hair cascaded down her back, and her eyes were of a pure, liquid gold. She was holding a doll in her hands, which didn't match her gothic Lolita outfit.

"Yes?" she asked. She didn't know this girl, of that she was sure. There was no way she would forget such a doll-like person. "Can I help you?"

The girl smiled, the smile an adult would have given her. She nodded, and stepped beside Junko, her parasol poised delicately above her head. "I would like to talk to you a bit."

|Junko's Place|

The girl was sitting in the sofa, ankles crossed as she was sipping some hot tea. Junko sat on the opposite side, not sure how she was supposed to react to the way the girl was acting. She didn't know a lot of twelve-year olds who were comfortable coming to a stranger's house. Much less twelve-year olds that themselves proposed to go to the house of a stranger.  
"Little girl, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked. Suddenly the blue-haired doll started to wriggle and talk.

"She wants to talk about her thick-headed brother and that dumb cow of a sister of hers. Not that you're so smart, getting involved with-" the doll was shut up by a glare of its owner, who then continued to sip her tea.

"Bge-kun… She was asking me." The girl said softly, her golden eyes fixating on the woman in front of her. The way those eyes stared… it reminded her of another, a gold-eyed man.

"Are you… Ren's little sister?" Junko asked, thinking that it possible wasn't true. The odds of meeting another family member of Ren were astronomically small.

The girl nodded. "My name is Anju Maaka. Ren-niichan and nee-chan have met you already." Her eyes closed a bit when she continued. "Nee-chan was very happy to have met you." She added.

"Your nee-chan… you mean Maaka-chan? Karin?" Junko asked, the situation dawning on her. In front of her was yet another vampire, though this one somehow seemed less menacing than Ren, and more than Karin. She wondered if there were more siblings, and how their parents were like. Instead of asking that she smiled at the young girl.

"Maaka-san… why are you here?" she asked.

"I wanted to know for myself what kind of person you are. You, who isn't afraid of Ren and who helped my big sister. I wanted to know how it is possible. And I wanted to know why you are being hunted."

Junko's heart seemed to freeze in her chest. "Hunted?"

"There are men posted outside your house. Ren-niisan probably didn't notice because he doesn't like men, and therefore pays them no heed. I was interested in you, and sent out my bats to look at you. They found a lot of men, different men, in the neighborhood, and all of them are watching you."

Junko said nothing, looking at her hands in fear. So it was true that her father kept men posted to look at her. He didn't want her to slip away. Did he know she was busy trying to create a way out of Japan? Did he already know that Ren was a vampire? Were the men watching now, as she was talking to his younger sister?

Anju seemed to have guessed this last thought, as she added in a thoughtful way. "There isn't anybody watching now. Though they probably saw you go to the hospital. What were you doing there?"

Junko looked at her backpack. "I was picking up blood packets. I know they probably won't fit Ren's taste, but at least he'll have something to eat. Maaka-san… are you… thirsty?" she asked the young girl, realizing she should have offered blood instead of tea.

Anju shook her head, declining the offer. "Thank you, but I'm not yet off age." The young girl's eyes darkened. "Though I might be soon. But for now, I don't drink blood."  
She continued, a smile playing on her lips. "Though I am surprised that you take this route for a solution. After my brother attacked you, I would have thought you would want your memory erased, or at least not see him anymore. Instead you try to solve the problem. The only thing that would have surprised me more is if you were to offer your own blood to him."

Junko blushed. "I don't want Ren to drink my blood. I don't want to be viewed as food by him. And… how did you know he tried to drink my blood?"

Anju pointed outside the window. A bat was hanging from the balcony, folded in his wings. "As I said, I use my bats to keep an eye on you. Big brother Ren was wrong for attacking you in that way. Had you not stopped him, I probably would have sent my bats in to help you."  
The girl smiled at her, drinking more of her tea. "After all, you do not try to harm us in any way, nor did you do anything that would deserve you such a treatment. You have been more than understanding towards my brother and sister. If you keep on being so understanding, I might see myself forced to inform our parents of the situation, that there is another human whom we might trust."

Junko swallowed, not really wanting any vampire's parents knowing about her. "Your parents?" she asked, intimidated by the small child.

"My parents. Ren has managed to keep you a secret from them, for now. If things go on like this however, it would only be fitting to introduce you."  
Anju got up, smoothing her dress down and placing the cup on the table. "Thank you for your hospitality, Junko-san."

Junko got up, seeing that the young vampire girl was getting ready to leave. She went towards the door, but before she could open it, the young girl put a hand on hers. Anju's skin was cool, though not as cold as Ren's had been when he had touched her. The girl motioned Junko to bend forwards, and when she did, the vampire pressed a kiss on her cheeks. Junko's eyes widened as she got back up.

"Junko-san… if it's you, I think I would be able to accept if Ren-niisan were to choose you. That's why I am warning you. The men outside aren't the only ones hunting you. There's another man, who is more dangerous. My bats haven't been able to see him properly, that's why I am telling you: make sure that you are never completely alone."

Junko blinked, not believing what the young girl was saying. Anju opened the door, walking out. "Don't worry too much, Junko-san. I will be keeping an eye on you if it's necessary."

Anju walked through the corridors, thinking things over carefully. She would have to convince Ren to have his own bats outside of Junko's apartment at all times. Yet, if she did that, she would also have to admit that she had been spying on him. Some things never went as smoothly as you wanted them to.

|After Dark, Apartment Elevator|

Ren got in the elevator, pressing the button leading him to Junko's floor. He hadn't been able to have proper meal today, and he was feeling peckish. Before the elevator doors closed, a man stopped them. Ren's nose crinkled in disgust. Had it been a woman, he might have been able to score a meal. When the man had fully gotten in, Ren noticed it was Junko's boss. The man was smelling weird again, an aroma that he knew and yet felt disgusted towards. He couldn't place it, and he kept frowning at the man.

Tanaka noticed, and smiled at Ren. "Ah, if it isn't Junko-chan's friend. Are you coming over for a visit again?"

Ren grunted.

"Well, it's a good thing you do. You've been coming over so little lately. Did the two of you have a fight?"

Ren's nostrils flared a bit, displeased at the man's general way of making assumptions, though he supposed that his attempt at trying to suck Junko's blood could be taken as a fight, if you stretched the concept a bit.

"Well, it's only normal for a young couple to fight a little bit. Just make sure it doesn't happen too often now. Junko-chan's a fine young woman, and it wouldn't do if she were to decide to break up with you."

Finally Ren smiled when he heard that. It was obvious the chief was interested in Junko, and that he assumed that Ren was dating her. "Junko, break with me? I fear, Tanaka-san, that that would be impossible. The ties binding the two of us are far too strong at the moment. I wouldn't be able to leave her, even if I wish it."

Tanaka's eyes narrowed a bit. "Even so, if Junko-chan would ever need my assistance, I would be only happy to give it."

The doors of the lifts opened. Ren walked outside, hands stuffed in his pockets, a malicious grin on his face. "Trust me, your help isn't something she'll ever require."

He knocked the door, fully aware of Tanaka's gaze focusing on him. How the man annoyed him to no end, making assumptions. Moreover, he had the guts to make advances on a woman he thought belonged to Ren. That was something Ren wasn't able to live with.  
When Junko opened the door, she smiled at him. "Ren, how nice to-"

He cut her off by pressing his lips to hers, in the meanwhile pushing her inside, closing the door after him. He smirked in the kiss, knowing it must be infuriating Tanaka to no end.

Junko was too surprised to react at first. Ren's lips were cool, though not ice-cold. The hand he used to hold her face was colder, and held her in place. Junko was shocked. First he tried to bite her, and now he was kissing her? Moreover, the vampire seemed to be enjoying it, placing his other hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. He had his eyes closed, and tried to open her mouth, in an attempt to somehow deepen the kiss.

She pulled away, breaking the contact between them. He blinked, before pulling his hands back as if he had burned himself. Her face was red, of that she was sure. She could feel her cheeks burning, and clenched her hands into fists. "H-Have you been drinking?" she asked him, wondering if he was drunk.

Ren shook his head, as annoyed with her as she was with him. He had meant it only as a way to annoy her boss, and nothing more. He hadn't really wanted to kiss her like that. His plan had been to let her go as soon as the door had locked behind them. Somewhere between that plan forming in his mind and the closing of the door, he had forgotten about it. Junko's lips had been sweet, and though she hadn't reacted that much to him… he had wanted more of it.

He had wanted to plunder her mouth with his tongue, he had wanted to force her closer to him and keep on kissing her, tasting that sweet taste, feeling her hot lips warm up his. And he had wanted to pull her to the bedroom to continue to even sweeter delights. Or throw her on the floor, or against the wall or up on the kitchen counter, or even… he stopped himself, or at least tried to.

"I didn't drink any alcohol, if that's what you mean." He said, trying to shake of the thought. He reminded himself that the things he was thinking now were only related to him wanting her blood. Her blood was what he was after. Not in any way was he interested in Junko herself. Not at all!

"I was merely… annoying your boss." He admitted. Junko frowned at him when he said that, turning away so she could hide her flushing cheeks.

"Well, I'd appreciate it if you'd do it in another way. No need to pull me into a showdown of testosterone." She said, trying to shake of the memory of the kiss. There had been… need in the kiss, and so much of it that it made her blush even fiercer. She did her best not to yell at Ren. He had the annoying habit of disappearing for days on end, without letting her know a thing if she yelled at him. She didn't want to yell at him at all.

Ren showed a smirk, though it wasn't quite as confident as it usually was. "Well, don't worry about that! It's not like I wanted to kiss you, so you can stop flattering yourself." He snapped. He tried to defend himself from his own thoughts, and if Junko would just yell at him, then he would have an excuse to storm out of the apartment and find some kind of distraction.

Instead Junko walked towards her kitchen, leaving him standing there. He felt lost, and out of control. Something in that kiss had changed things between them, that much he realized. He just didn't know what it had changed.

Junko walked back out of the kitchen, holding a glass filled with a thick red liquid. She held it out to him, avoiding eye contact. "I… know it hasn't been easy for you Ren. And I realize I've been selfish, so I wanted to say that I'm sorry. But since you kissed me, you can wave an apology goodbye! And, well… I got some blood for you. I know it's probably not to your taste and all, but… well… you can at least try it?"

Ren accepted the glass, not believing his eyes. The girl had gone out and retrieved blood for him? It was a course of action he hadn't been expecting, least of all after the fiasco from two weeks ago. He brought the glass to his mouth. Though it wasn't exactly to his taste, he detected a small trace of stress in the glass. Junko watched him, waiting for a reaction. Swallowing the red substance, Ren nodded to her, feeling as if had underestimated the girl. Though she was irritating and didn't know thing about how the real world worked… she had a good streak about her. The taste of blood in his mouth calmed him down, so much that he could feel the tension in his shoulders disappear.

"Junko… It's good. So, thank you."


	5. Christmas Can Be Lonely

|Julian's Restaurant, Christmas|

Junko let out a relieved sigh when she finally found the restaurant. It was close to Ren's home, which also meant it was on the complete other side of town for Junko. It was a lucky thing they had gotten the day off, otherwise she would never have been able to make it out here. Karin was standing outside, dressed in a Christmas outfit near a table lined up with cakes. She had a blush on her cheeks as she gave back some change, before waving the couple off that had just purchased a cake.

"Maaka-chan!" Junko yelled, waving at the younger girl from a distance. As she walked closer Karin waved back, smiling broadly at the woman.

"Akane-san! Did you come to buy cake as well today?" she asked, rubbing her cheeks with her mittened hands.

Junko placed her bag in the snow next to her feet, adjusting her scarf a little bit. "Yes, I am. Your brother told me that the place you are working at always sells Christmas cakes. And I happen to need one. Can you sell me the best you have, Maaka-chan?"

Karin nodded, and started to look for one of the deluxe cake boxes. As she was rummaging, a young boy with blond-orange hair came out of the restaurant, dressed in a Santa suit. He walked up closer, and Junko froze up when she saw how nasty a look he threw around.

"Maaka, have you-"

Karin immediately shot up when she heard the boy talking, before she started to blush and look away, twiddling her fingers nervously.  
"U-U-Usui-kun! I didn't know you w-w-w-were standing there." She stuttered, a fierce blush creeping up her cheeks. The boy panicked, taking a few steps back.

"Is it the-you-know-what again?" he asked in a panic, throwing Junko a glance. He didn't want to blurt out Karin's secret out in public after all.

"Ah, if you're having a nosebleed, Maaka-chan, you should use my handkerchief." Junko said, as she started to rummage around in her pockets, also panicking at the situation.

Karin shook her head. "I'm fine, it's not my nose or anything. I was just… a little surprised." She said, blushing even more. Junko stopped her rummaging and looked at Karin in relief.

"Ah… okay…"

The boy nodded as well, seemingly just as embarrassed with the situation as Karin and Junko were.  
"Julian asked me to bring inside the money box, so we don't have to worry about small change and stuff…" he said, scratching his hair underneath his hat. Karin picked up the box, handing it to him with both her hands. Neither of them dared to look the other in the eyes, and slowly Junko started to understand the situation.

When the boy had left, she squealed in delight. "Maaka-chan, is that your boyfriend?" she asked, happy for the girl.

At once Karin glowed red as a tomato again, and made hush movements with her hands. She looked over her shoulder, trying to see if Usui was coming back.  
"He's not my boyfriend… but he helps me keep my secret…" she mumbled.

Junko realized something else as well. "Maaka-chan… do your nosebleeds have anything to do with you being a vampire?"

Karin nodded. "Well… I am a vampire as well… Just that I inject blood into people, instead of suck it… but because I hate sucking blood out of people I just keep putting it off and off and then I have a nosebleed."

Junko looked worried when she heard that. "Ren did say something about your nosebleeds getting worse. Are you sure you'll be alright? What's your blood type?" she asked Karin, informing about her taste in blood.

The girl stared at the ground, looking as sullen as could be. "… Unhappiness." It sounded as if she had a great deal of trouble with that. "I wanted something cuter though." She added, as if she was apologizing for it.

"But, then you take a person's unhappiness away, don't you, Maaka-chan?" Junko said, softly. "Isn't that a good thing?"

Karin shrugged, not really wanting to think about it. In reality, she wanted nothing more than to be an ordinary human, just like Junko was. Junko, who could run about on the street without any worries, and be friends with everybody and not have to deal with any strange cravings. She looked back to the shop.  
"But Usui-kun is a bit unhappy as well…" she confided. "And … I… don't want him to be unhappy." She said. It was the closest to a confession she had gotten so far, and it wasn't even towards the boy she liked!

Junko smiled when she heard it. "I'm happy for you, Maaka-chan. And I'll be supporting you. So, how about you sell me a cake? I need to get home and start dinner."

"Ah, are you having a party tonight, Akane-san?" Karin asked, as she started to look again for the box with the deluxe cake in it again. Junko nodded with a smile.

"It's nothing fancy though." Junko said, brushing her bangs away from her head. "It's just me and Ren, since I couldn't-"

"BIG BROTHER?" Karin asked, dropping one of the cake boxes on the ground. Her eyes were wide with amazement as she looked at Junko. "B-b-b-but brother never spends this night at just one girl's place! He usually goes out with at least seven different women!"

Junko sweatdropped. "Just what does he tell his little sisters? I would've thought he was at least decent enough to spare you guys the details. And besides, he's going out to eat something first, since I won't let him bite me."

Karin let out a relieved sigh. She liked Junko, so much that she had felt a little uncomfortable when she thought that Ren might be drinking her blood. To drink the blood of someone you knew… it felt a little disrespectful.

Junko received her cake at long last from Karin, and the boy with the samurai face returned from inside the shop. He gave her a light bow, which she returned. "Usui-san, wasn't it?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Oh please, don't say that. I feel so old when you say that to me. Just call me Akane-san, if you would. Akane Junko, that's my name."

"Sure…" he said. Junko didn't really look at his eyes, but Usui didn't mind. He was used to people not liking to look at his eyes. Still, she didn't run away screaming, so he could count that as a win.  
Junko paid, telling Karin to split the rest between her and Usui, before walking away. She still had some things to pick up, before she could start cooking. She thought she could try to make something nice for Ren to eat while she was at it.

|Lado Bar, 11 PM|

Ren twirled the little stinger with the olive on it around in his glass, listening to the mindless rambling of his current date. She had her hair dyed blonde, and it looked quite good on her. He wished she would have left out her blue contacts though… Ren had a thing for deep brown eyes, like Junko had. At once he pushed that thought away, giving the little stick an extra twirl. He did not like Junko. Not one bit. She annoyed him to no end, and all she was was just a sick, mindless and irritating human being.

"… And then I saw the cat was sitting behind me!" the girl concluded, clapping her hands together in delight. Ren forced a chuckle, and the girl leant more heavily on his arm. He and she both knew this was going to end in the bedroom, with the curtains closed and perhaps a bottle of liquor next to the bed. He would make sure to please her, and drink his blood. Then he would leave, while she lay sleeping. If she was awake, he would tell her he wanted to visit his family.

He would leave the warm bed, and go into the snow-filled night, which was dark and yet light at the same time. The streets would be filled with humans, and he would meet another girl who's eyes he would compliment. He would smell her perfume, and tell her she was lovely. And once he had conquered her, he would once again leave, and it would all be repeated.

He kept looking in the clear liquid in his glass. He didn't even know what he was about to drink, nor did he care. To his body, alcohol had almost no effect. He thought about how he had told Junko that he wouldn't mind crashing at her place for that night. It had been more convenience for him than a real wish to see her on Christmas, but she hadn't even told him that it would be inconvenient, or that she already had plans.

It was strange for him to know that there was one place that belonged to a human where he would always be welcome. Junko always opened up her door for him, no matter how bad the fight had been they had before. She'd usually scold him, he would growl something back at her and they would fight again. But somehow, no matter the words he said, they started to become less and less true. She wasn't that annoying, meddling woman anymore. She cared for him, in that strange way of hers.

That was the thing that annoyed him now. He was starting to like her, or at least accept her. A human! A human that had had the guts to somehow blackmail him and that was now busy attempting to win a place in his heart. He didn't want it. He didn't and he tried to resist that smothering feeling that started to creep up in his chest.  
He put an arm around his latest conquest, and tried to remember her name. It had been… "Nakao… How about another drink for you?" he asked.

She nodded with a smile, and immediately ordered another cocktail. Ren made sure she didn't see his face crinkle with dissatisfaction. Things had been going so easy lately. No, they were just as easy as always, but this was the first time it actually disturbed him. He had been hoping for a little resistance… and a little of the warmth he had come to know. Peace and quiet, as he relaxed in a sofa and listened to another voice, asking questions and writing away…

When his pocket vibrated, he pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. He pulled it out, flipping the screen open. A picture of an angry Junko appeared, letting him know it was indeed her that had sent a message.

_Ren,  
Can you pick up a few bottles of water for me? You can bring something for yourself as well, though I still have some blood packets left. Don't be late, I'm waiting for you!_

Ren looked at the screen, and his fingers were already moving to send a positive reply to her when he stopped himself. He didn't want to… he didn't want to what? He didn't want to be caught in a helpless feeling towards a mortal girl… he didn't want to end up being bound even tighter to her, and not mind. He didn't want to lose himself!

He closed his cell phone with a snap, before turning back to his date, who was asking who it had been. Ren showed a cold smile.  
"Nobody important."

|Junko's Home|

She started to set the table, her cell lying on a small table nearby. She didn't know if Ren would reply or not, but she knew he would be coming to her pretty soon. She had tried to cook with blood – human blood! Though she tried not to think about that – and hadn't been very successful. Still, maybe Ren would like to try some of the things she had made. Maybe he would tell her that he liked it, and compliment her for trying so hard for him.

She sat down in the sofa, done with her table setting. Flipping on the television, she caught a bat looking at her from outside. It was cold out, and the animal was probably feeling miserable. It was a bat from either Anju or Ren, though she guessed Anju. Ren hadn't said anything about letting his bats keeping a watch out for her.  
She opened up the window, talking to the animal. "Come on in, you. It's cold out, isn't it? You should be more careful, or you'll freeze to death. Come on, you can hang from the coat rack if you'd like."  
The animal let out a squeak, before fluttering in. Junko closed the window, and turned her look back to the television.

The program had ended, and still there was no sign from Ren. Junko checked her cell phone nervously, but he hadn't sent any message that she might have missed. She turned it's volume up to the maximum, and put it on the table. The snow started to fall even heavier outside, and a cheesy Christmas movie started to play on the television.

Junko swallowed, trying to ignore that awkward lump in her throat or the way a knot formed in her stomach. Had something happened to Ren? Could vampires break their necks or crack their skulls when they fell in the cold weather? He wasn't sick, he would have let her know something. She was worried, she realized.

Another half hour later, she looked at her cell phone, wringing her fingers as she was thinking about whether she should send a message or not. She didn't want him to think that she was worrying about him… but on the other hand, she didn't want him to think she didn't care.  
She picked up her cell, and weighed it in her hand. When she flipped open the screen, she could feel a slight tremble going through her shoulders. She started typing, and then suddenly had a thought.

What if he was with a woman now?

Hadn't Karin told her that Ren could easily work off seven women in one night? Maybe Ren had simply forgotten about her, and decided that being of in town, having sex with random women was a lot more fun that having to spend time with a girl like Junko.

She glanced to her table, and then back to her cell screen. She looked at the message she had typed, and suddenly felt a little sick by the thought she would send that to Ren while he was out having fun with other women. What if he would tell them about her, and they would have a laugh at her account? He hadn't sent her a message after all…

She slapped the screen closed, and put her cell on the table. Looking at the food she had been preparing, she felt that she wasn't hungry. Any food that she tried to eat now would probably make her feel worse.

She looked at the bat, and forced a slight smile on her face. "Good night, little bat. I guess Ren won't be coming by after all tonight. Sleep tight, I'll see if I have some food for you in the morning, alright?"

The bat chirped, and Junko retired in her bedroom, plopping on the bed, still fully dressed.

|Maaka Residence|

Anju sat at the dining table with her parents and sister. Her parents were in good cheers and even Karin was blushing, before pulling Anju with her to watch a Christmas movie. When Anju sat down, she focused a bit, looking through the eyes of the bat she had sent to Junko's. She had checked up on the woman every half hour or so, and seen her prepare for the small party she had planned with Ren. Now she was just in time to catch her saying good night to the bat, before she walked towards what Anju supposed was her living room.

"Anju, don't you like the movie?"

Anju smiled, and nodded. "I was just checking up on Akane-san."

Karin put her hands to her cheeks. "You can't go spying on big brother, Anju! He'll get angry."

Anju's face darkened when she heard that. 'That will not be a problem. It seems like big brother hasn't gone to see her at all."

Karin's face also took on a more gloomy expression, though it was nowhere near as scary as Anju's. 'But Akane-san was looking forward to tonight so much. She even came by to pick up a cake from Julian's, and now big brother didn't go at all?'

Karin thought about how unhappy Junko must be feeling at that moment. She wondered how she would've felt if Usui-kun had ditched her on Christmas, one of the most important couple days. The thought made her want to cry. Anju saw the look on her sister's face, and frowned even deeper.

"Let's go and tell her happy Christmas tomorrow. I'm sure Akane-san would like the company."

Karin nodded her agreement, but couldn't help but continue to worry about the older woman.

Neither of the two sisters had realized that their parents had been overhearing their conversation. Carrerra looked at her husband, raising her eyebrows at the news of what their children had been hiding for them. Henry closed the door behind them, and the two vampires seemed to realize what had happened in the past few months.

"Seems like Ren has run into a spot of trouble…" Carrerra commented, sipping the blood from her glass.

"Ah, but it does look like the girl… Akane-san, has been keeping her mouth shut up until now. Still, we need to talk with Ren. The sooner the better."

Carrerra turned around her glass, looking at the thick red blood sticking to the edges. She thought about what she would do if she had been stood up like that. She smiled when she raised the class to her lips.

"I have a feeling we'll be seeing our son soon enough."


	6. Just Leave

First of all, my most sincere thanks to the people who have left a comment. I'm not sure if I'm supposed if I should send a message to you guys, or if there's some other way to acknowledge me being made aware of your existence, so if someone has the protocol for this, that would be nice.

 

|Nakao's Appartment, Noon|

Ren opened his eyes, in a slow, almost dazed movement. In the few moments where he lay staring up at the ceiling he tried to remember at who's place he was now. Then he remembered again, how he had decided to stay with the woman who had dyed her hair so blonde. Nakao…  
The sex had been pleasant enough, and she had had a nice amount of stress in her blood. He was now completely sated in his two ever-most pressing needs, and yet there was something missing in it all. He tried to discern what was causing the gnawing pain in his stomach. No, it wasn't really pain, but something more non material. He frowned at his foolishness, since there wasn't any reason for him to feel worried at all. None that he could –

Junko.

He sat up, placing a hand on his forehead. He was starting to get delusional, thinking about that troublesome woman at a time like this. Instead he ought to wake up the woman next to him, or just drink her blood as she lay there sleeping. And yet he couldn't bring himself to it. The sweet taste that had lingered in his mouth had turned to a sour one, making him cringe in disgust. He made his way towards the kitchen, in search of water so he could rinse his mouth. Thankfully there weren't any windows there, through which the sun would be able to bombard him with hateful rays.   
Standing in the unfamiliar kitchen he rinsed his mouth, spitting out the water in the sink. The sour taste in his mouth remained. He didn't like this one bit, as he looked at his reflection in the steel fridge. His own amber eyes seemed to be mocking him at this moment, as he was trapped for the remainder of the sun-filled hours in the apartment with a woman who would throw a fit if he ever disclosed his identity to her. So unlike Junko…

But wasn't that the reason why he had picked just her? Blonde hair, blue contacts and a smile that came all too easy and was insincere. She had used him just as much as he had used her, and they both knew it. It wasn't anything Junko would have done, which was exactly the reason he had done it. He had wanted to hurt Junko, because he wanted to break away from her. She cared too much, and he couldn't hate her like he wanted to.  
Ren's eyes rested on the still sleeping figure in the bed as he stood slumped against the bedroom wall. He wanted to hate Junko so much. It was so easy to hate humans after all, to regard them as nothing more than food or a way to find relief for more base matters. He had always regarded them like that… weak… food… uncaring… opportunistic.

He shook his head. They ALL were like that, every last one. Even Junko. Especially her. He reminded himself of that as he touched his lips, thinking about the kiss he had once forced on her. She was just like all other women on this human-filled planet, and he shouldn't start to think any differently. And yet he was worrying about her!  
She hadn't sent him a message ever since the one the night before, he would have heard. His gaze hardened as he thought about it. Clearly she didn't deem it necessary to ask him to come by either. He ought to just go by her place, and yell at her. If they would fight, he would feel better about it all. He knew he would, he just had to feel better. As soon as darkness had fallen, he would go over to her, just so he could yell at her. In some ways, that had to make things better.

|Junko's place, 2 PM|

Junko looked at the bat that was still hanging from the coat rack. The animal was sleeping now, as she assumed was probably its habit. Ren was probably also-

She stopped the thought the moment she caught onto it. Starting from today she wouldn't waste another thought on the womanizing vampire. If he liked playing about so much that he didn't bother coming to an appointment, that was his own choice. She had nothing to do with it at all. And at the moment she had been determined to root out everything that could ever prove he had been in her apartment.

There hadn't been much though. One shirt and a watch, that was it. She looked at them now, from the corner of her eye. They were ready to throw out, in the trash or in Ren's face, if he did show up sometime. The cakes she had made using blood were standing near them. Those were certainly going in the trash, though she vaguely considered throwing them at his head as well. But she didn't want him to know she had put any effort doing anything for him at all! He could rot for all she cared.

There was a knock on the door. Battle mode activated, Junko walked towards the door, gritting her teeth when she unlocked it.  
"Well, it's about time you showed up, you stupid, ungrateful,-"  
She stopped talking when she saw just who was standing in front of her door.  
"Ah… Karin-chan… Maaka-san…"

The two girls looked at Junko, Karin sporting a heavy blush on her cheeks while her sister Anju gave Junko a look that suggested she wasn't impressed at all. Junko blushed as well, seeing as how she had been ready to yell at two people who had nothing to do at all with her current predicament.  
"Uhm… is there a reason for this visit?" Junko asked.

"Early New Year's visit." Anju said, looking past Junko's shoulder, as if she was hoping to see someone. Suddenly her ventriloquist puppet started talking as well.

"Actually, we came to see if her good for nothing older brother was here. Ya know, after he stood you up last night the girls thought you could use some help!"

"Bge!" Karin said, annoyed with the doll. "That's very insensitive of you!"

Anju looked at the doll in the same manner as Karin did. With a tight squeeze she made the doll shut up, before casting Junko a slight smile.  
"Mind if we come in?"

Junko stepped back, gesturing the two girls to come inside. She closed the door behind her, and started to prepare some tea for the girls. The two of them were quiet, and the sounds Junko made were clearly audible throughout the living room. Anju sat in the same chair her older brother always sat in, looking at her with the same golden eyes as his. It unnerved Junko, who tried to shake of the feeling. She returned with the cups of tea, and then went back to slice some Christmas cake.

Karin looked around the apartment. It had been the first time she had come inside, or even been close to it. It looked like any other human's place, and there was almost no sign that her brother came by on a frequent basis, apart from a shirt and a watch that had been thrown near the door in a casual manner.

Karin cast a glance on Junko. Not taking into account the outburst she had had at the front door, she seemed to be the epitome of a calm, collected woman who had had a perfect night of sleep. Not in a single way did she seem to be annoyed, or angry or even sad. Anju's facial expression however, hinted that she in a way did feel that Junko wasn't completely herself. Bge remained silent. Whether it was because he had been reprimanded or simply because he considered his cause fulfilled was something Karin couldn't really guess.  
When Junko sat next to her, ankles crossed and flipping her hair back over the brightly colored shirt she was wearing, Karin couldn't help but feel a little pained. Junko must have noticed, because she threw Karin a small smile.

"There isn't a reason to be worrying about me, Karin-chan. After all, things like these are part of the life of an adult." Junko's eyes flickered toward Anju, who was still sitting there looking quite sternly.  
"Nor is there any reason to fear that I would betray your secret to the outside world. After all, I'm only angry at your brother. I'm not childish enough to take it out on your entire family."

Anju showed a small smile at that. "I didn't think you would be, Akane-san. After all, you have only had the best intentions with us, at all times. And it's not like one human could ever hope to prove a danger to an entire vampire family."

Junko smiled when she heard that, as if she were relieved to hear that. "That's good. I wouldn't like it if something happened to the two of you, even if I didn't have anything to do with it. Though there is one favor I would like to ask of you, Maaka-san."

Anju's eyes focused a little better on Junko, her eyes slightly reverted into the cat-like slits that were the mark of a strong, or pissed-off vampire. Though those two things were in general the same thing.  
"What would that be, Akane-san?"

"Could you… erase my memory?" Junko asked, closing her eyes, not able to look the younger girl in the eyes. She had just realized it… Even if Karin didn't have any vampire powers, Anju had. Anju would be able to erase Ren from her memory. She would never have to think about him again. And she wanted him out of her life. No good could come from it if she stayed near that vampire and his callous ways. She would never be able to confess her love to a guy like that, even if she had wanted to. Ren would laugh at her, and turn her away. She didn't need to hear the words to know it. She didn't need to see a cold smile on his face to know that in his eyes she would never be anything than a weak human. He would never see her as something else than a food source.

It was quiet for a while. Anju sat in the chair, looking at Junko in a way that suggested she was thinking about various matters at once. Anju looked far too mature for such a young girl, even as she was dressed in her typical Lolita garments. As the sun started to set behind her, the girl seemed to be bathed in a copper-red hue, almost as if someone had dipped her in a pool of blood. Finally her lips curled, not in what was a smile, but almost a mocking replica of the same smirk her brother always wore on his face.

"I can. But I will not."

Her eyes looked back and forth between Junko and Karin. As Anju brought the cup of tea to her mouth, she paused before she drank the remainder of her drink.  
"But not because I don't want to help you, Akane-san."  
Anju drank her tea, before placing the cup back on the table, letting her gaze relax as she continued.  
"I just want to help my sister more. If your memory is erased, there is one less human that will help Karin-neesan. I would not want to erase such a person from this world. If you wish to erase us all from your memory, you should ask somebody else."

|After Sundown|

That 'somebody else' knocked on the door an hour after his two sisters had left, taking the shirt of their older brother and the cakes Junko had made with them. Junko couldn't get angry about it anymore. Instead she felt queasy as she held the doorknob in her hand. She would have to ask Ren to erase her memory. She closed her eyes as tried to imagine how it would feel. Would she really forget everything that had happened these past few months? Would she not remember Karin and Anju either? Her papers with data were standing on a box, ready for Ren to take with him. She would have to find another means to raise the money to leave Japan. She had another reason now too.

She opened the door to an annoyed Ren. He looked at her in an exceptionally poisonous way, before he tried to step inside. She placed a hand to his chest, stopping him in his tracks. His golden eyes looked down on her, surprised. They hardly ever touched one another, unless it was by accident or because Ren was trying to piss of her boss for reasons only he knew.  
"What the hell? Can't I come in?"

"No, you can't."

Ren blinked, looking down at the smaller woman. She didn't look angry in particular, but more like she was sad. When she noticed him examining her, her mouth clenched together in a tight line.

"And are you planning on telling me why?" he asked her. He didn't see why in particular she had a cause to be angry. Fine, he hadn't shown up. It wasn't like he was obligated to in any case! "Or are you just going to stand there, and be as annoying as always?"

Junko crossed her arms and straightened her back. "Depends… is there a reason you didn't come here last night?"

"Stupid woman! What, am I supposed to report back to you like some puppy dog?" Ren snarled.

"You're not! But if you say that you'll be coming by, I'm expecting you! You just stood me up like that, and it's not even the first time. I've had it, Ren. Leave."

Ren sighed, taking a step back. "Fine then. When do I come back then? Tomorrow, or is that day-"

"You don't have to come back. You just… leave." Junko closed her eyes. "If you want to, you can do me one last favor. You can erase my memory, and take all the stuff I've written down with you. That way you can be sure I won't be a danger to you or your family anymore."

His eyes spurred open. He couldn't believe what she was saying right now. How dared she even utter the possibility that he wouldn't be able to come here anymore? The only place in the human world he considered to be safe, and she would deny him it's safety?  
"What the fuck do you think you're saying, huh? How do you even think I'd let you forget about me, you annoying woman!" he grabbed her by the arm, pulling her closer to him.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" she retorted, not trying to pull back in the least. She glared back at him just as furiously. "I thought you wanted me to forget, isn't that what you've been moaning about all these months? Gods, just make up your mind for once already!"

"Look, you're the one that got me in this mess, and I'm planning on getting through with it for once and all. I'll just help you finish that stupid book of yours and-"

"-And what? Then you'll erase my memory? If you can't do it now, how will you be able to do it then, huh? Are you even listening to yourself? You're the one that's always off playing and not keeping an agreement even if you know fully well because I sent you a text. I can't believe I even tried to be nice to you, you egoistical son of a bitch!"

"You're one to talk! I should've known that you were no good from the start! I can't believe I put up all this time with you! And they say vampires are stubborn, well, you sure have us beat! You're just too much, you know that?"

"I don't care!" Junko finally blurted out. She would have to hurt Ren if he were to be forced to erase her memory. She hated herself for the hurtful words that she was about to say… but she didn't have a choice, if she wanted to be free from him.

"You're nothing but a monster! Why would I want to live with the memory of you even being in my apartment. The only thing I want is you gone from my life, forever! You see me as nothing but food, but do you think I can ever forget that you're a monster? All you want from me is my blood and my secrecy, you don't even care about the person I am! Well, I'm fed up with it! I don't ever want you near me again! So just erase my memory and leave. Don't ever come back. The only thing I want now is living without having to know something like you exists!"

Ren said nothing, glaring at her from across the little distance that separated them. His hand clenched around her arm tighter, hurting her, but he didn't say anything at all. She could see his eyes grow reddish, and his fangs grow a little. Finally he let go of her, flinging her arm away with such force that she fell backwards against her own door.  
"If all you want is a life without remembering me… then that is exactly the one thing I won't give you. Because that's exactly the kind of monster that I am. Goodbye Junko. I'll make sure you don't ever have to see me again. Stay away from my family and my home though… I'm guessing you'll be wanting to see me again soon, but you can forget about that!"

Junko got up, yelling at Ren's back as he walked off. "Forget it! I don't ever want to see your face again, Ren! So if you know what's good for you, you'll stay away, you hear me?"  
When he was gone, Junko slumped against the door of her apartment. "I don't… ever… want to see you again…"


	7. I Do Need You

|Junko's Office, Afternoon|

Junko sluggishly looked at her computer screen, trying to see how she could improve the picture that was going to be used for the opening of a new hotel not too far from the town center. Truth be told, she didn't care quite that much. After _he_ had left, she hadn't been caring about a lot of things; not only had she lost three pounds, she had also been neglecting her work, and was now required to make late hours making up for it. Not that it mattered much. There was nobody waiting for her at home. She didn't have to rush there to be able to open the door for a certain golden-eyed vampire who loved nothing better than making snide remarks, perched in her sofa as if he owned the place.   
Nor did she miss it. That was what she told herself every morning, and she meant it. She had done great the past few days. Tomorrow around noon would be the office's New Year's party, and she would be attending. In order to prove to herself that she didn't need that irritating, whoring son of a -

She didn't need him. That was all that mattered.

|Maaka Residence, That Evening|

"Ren, shouldn't you go out and get something to eat?" Henry Maaka asked, something he had never before been forced to do. Asking Ren if he should eat… in all the years since the boy had been a fully fledged vampire, this hadn't happened once. The boy had taken to drinking blood as if he had never done anything else. Other vampires sometimes resisted, through guilt or simply because they had become attached to the human world. But not Ren.

"I'm not hungry." Ren replied in a voice that sounded surly, as if he were tending to wounded pride.

"It's already been three days Ren. You should at least have a few drops." Carrera chimed in, agreeing with her husband on this particular subject. Ren was becoming paler by the day, and more lethargic as well.

"I said I'm not hungry, didn't I?" he snapped back, stretching out in the sofa, looking up at the ceiling. He didn't want to feed. The thought about going out and touching a human – any human – seemed repulsive to him at the moment. When he thought about thick blood streaming down his throat he nearly gagged, the mere idea being enough to offset his stomach. No, food was something he was having not the least bit of interest in.

"If this is about that girl you've been seeing…" his father started, but his voice trailed off before he could finish his sentence. Ren covered his eyes with his arm, the first shots of panic shooting through him. They knew. They knew about him and Junko. But at this moment there wasn't anything about to worry about left. All ties had been severed, and he would never try to see her again.

"You should forget about her, Ren. Did you erase her memory?" Carrera asked. Ren didn't like the soft tone of voice she was speaking in. Yelling meant everything was okay in life, the boisterous way of showing they were doing great enough to dare yell. A voice of compassion usually meant there were problems.

"Did you erase the girl's memory?' his mother asked again. 'If she were to remember what you two have been up to, there won't be telling as to how it would affect us all."

"We haven't been up to anything." Ren answered in a low, menacing voice. "As a matter of fact, there never was a 'we'. There was a vampire, and a human that was foolish enough to let him crash at her place a few times. I used her, and she used me. Until she figured out that letting a bloodthirsty monster in your house isn't the best of moves, after which she told me to leave. I didn't erase her memory, nor is it necessary. She knows what will happen if she talks."

But he hadn't used her. She was the one human he had ever had such long contact with without draining her of every ounce of stress she had. Apart from that one kiss, all bodily contact had been limited to the occasional, accidental touch of their hands. That had been everything. He had tried his best to repel her, to force her away from him. And yet he himself had always returned, because he had needed her. He had needed a listening ear, that was interested in him and didn't recoil from his presence even if she knew what he really was.

Only she had never quite forgotten, he guessed. She had always remembered, and grown tired of him. Tired of him being what he was. Tired of that which he couldn't change. It wasn't his fault that he had been born this way. There was nothing he could do that would stop the thirst for blood. And she had driven him away. She wouldn't tell though. She was too good for that.  
"That's her problem, you know? She's got a really big mouth, but when it comes down to it… she just can't." he mumbled, not loud enough for his parents to hear. He ought to eat something, he knew that. And yet… he couldn't. He needed more time.

|Junko's Office Party, noon|

Coming here had been a mistake, Junko realized somewhere within the first hour. The sight and smell of all the food mounted on the table made her feel sick. She had forced herself to eat a few bites of crackers and other small delicacies in the same way she had forced herself to swap meaningless banter with her coworkers. Then there was her chief, Tanaka, fluttering about her and never once letting her out of his sight. He claimed to be worried for her, after not having seen Ren in days. When she had told him that Ren was out of the picture and out of her life, Tanaka had placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Junko disliked it, and she did nothing to encourage the man in his pursuit of her.

"Junko, why don't you try some of this salmon? It's absolutely delicious, and maybe it'll bring some color to your cheeks." Tanaka said, showing her said piece of fish.

"No thank you sir, I'm not really that hungry." Junko was speaking the truth; the mere sight of the pink fish was enough to make her stomach churn. She didn't want to eat or laugh, she didn't want to dance and talk about the latest news or what her latest assignment was. All she wanted was to go home, drop on the bed and fall asleep in a deep, lethargic state of mind. The smile on Tanaka's face was enough for her to finally make up her mind.

"I'm going home sir. I fear I might be coming down with something, and I would hate it if I infected any other people. Good day."

Before Tanaka could say anything, Junko had already turned towards the door. A few people tried to talk to her, but most of them saw the look in her eyes and decided instead to wish her a nice day. Junko never hear any of them, but kept moving on her high heels. She hopped on a bus, and didn't even see the street passing her by. Automatically she got out at her stop, moving through the park at a brisk pace. The singing of birds was wasted upon her ears, as was the laughter of children and young couples passing her by.

She was already on her floor when the elevator opened behind her, showing how Tanaka stepped out. Junko pretended not to notice but kept walking towards her door. By the time he had reached her, she had already unlocked her door and stepped inside. But he stuck his foot between the door and the wall, preventing her from shutting it closed.

"I don't believe you should be alone right now, Junko."

"Chief Tanaka, I would very much like it if you would leave me be."

His hand now moved through the door, and slid across her cheek. Junko shivered, and tried to slam the door shut again, to no avail.

"Junko… dear, pretty Junko… you really shouldn't be alone. Let me help you forget about Ren."

Junko clenched her teeth together. "If you leave now, sir, I will forget you were ever here. I won't even call the police."

Before Junko could react Tanaka threw his weight against the door. She staggered backwards, hitting a chair as she did so. A flash of pain went through her lower back, and suddenly Tanaka had her by the wrist. She tried to pull back, but he pushed her as she did so, sending her tumbling to the floor.

"Get out!" Her voice nearly squeaked shut in her panic.

He didn't reply, but instead ran his hand across the kitchen counter until he found a knife. Junko's eyes landed on the glistening object, and she tried to jump up to run out of the open door. Tanaka grabbed her by the neck, and kicked her in the side. Junko fell against her couch this time, feeling slightly dizzy.  
"Pretty Junko. You really should know what is better for you. A man like me is able to provide for you, unlike that stupid playboy you've been running around with." He ran a finger across the kitchen knife, his eyes never leaving her. "Maybe you just need some help to see that."

"Get out! Get out, get out, get out! I don't want you here! Just leave!" Junko tried to get back on her feet, but couldn't quite managed. Before she had gotten up her head started swimming, and she sunk back to the ground so she wouldn't have to throw up. Before she had moved, she felt cold metal on her shoulder.

"Try to be a good girl, okay?"

|Maaka Residence, noon|

"Big brother."

Ren grunted, still lying on the couch. The only times he had gotten up was to go to the bathroom, and even those times had been scarce. When his parents had gone to sleep he had mumbled that he'd get to bed soon too, after them. He hadn't found the energy to actually get up and drag himself to his room, so instead he had been taking a nap on the couch.

"Brother." Anju repeated, standing next to him. When he didn't reply, she flicked a finger against his forehead. Ren let out a deeper grunt, glaring at her.

"Anju! What are you doing?" he asked, glaring at his younger sister.

"Akane-san is in trouble." Anju told him in her grave voice. "She's being followed by a man again, the same one that always follows her. Only this time you're not there to help her."

"Junko? She can take care of herself." He replied, sounding even more surly when that woman's name was mentioned.

"She can't."

"I'm telling you she'll be fine."

"She can't. You have to help her." Anju insisted. It was unlike her to antagonize Ren, but this was more important than a big brother's bruised feelings.

"I don't have to help her at all." He muttered, shading his eyes again from his sister's piercing look. He was surprised when Anju tugged his ear forcibly.

"He's going to attack her. Use my bat if you want to see for yourself." Anju's tone suggested that she wouldn't take no for an answer, even if that no were to come from a fully-fledged vampire. She sensed how Ren looked through the eyes of her familiar, how he edged the little bat closer to get a better look. When he let go of the bat, he got up from the couch, a reddish glow coloring his amber eyes.

"Tanaka." he said in a low voice that seemed to rumble. Junko was indeed in danger, and more than she realized. That man had reeked of predator, but Ren had been unable to pinpoint it because he hadn't quite believed that a human could be so dangerous. And as a human male, Tanaka hadn't even begun to lead Ren into a deeper investigation.

"I'm going to Junko." Ren announced, making for the door. He knew the sun was out, but didn't care. Even if he had left Junko behind, she was too good for someone the likes of Tanaka. He would see to it that he didn't even lay a finger on his prize. "Anju, I'm taking the bats with me." The bats would shield off most of the sunlight. It was showy, yes. It would attract attention. But otherwise he had no hopes of getting there in time without being burnt to a crisp.

|Junko's Place|

Panic was lodged in Junko's throat by now. She didn't think about reasoning with her chief anymore, her only thought was of escape. She slowly backed away towards the window, not paying mind to how high her floor was. Tanaka followed, the kitchen knife still resting on her shoulder as he followed her.  
"Junko… if you come here, I won't hurt you. I won't have to hurt you. You're a good girl after all. You'll listen to me."

Junko shrieked, and turned to back away. That would have been a nice try, but the cut of the knife in delicate flesh made her flinch, and gave Tanaka the opportunity to grab her from behind. He pushed her down on the ground, fingers digging in her back. Junko's eyes filled with tears as she tried to shake him off, to no avail. Her dress ripped when he turned her around, and Junko tried to kick him off. He ignored the kick, and pressed the knife to her throat.  
"Will you be quiet now?" Tanaka hissed, little drops of spittle forming at his mouth.

"That woman, quiet? You're an even bigger nut job than I had you pegged for." Junko tensed up when she heard that voice. Ren! Ren had come for her! Before she could say his name, Tanaka was being lifted away from her, as Ren raised the man towards his face.

"Stupid little man. You may be a human predator, I'm even worse. And you made the mistake of trying to take my prey."

"Listen, you were gone! I had every right to-"

"If Junko doesn't give you permission, you don't have any right to anything. Got that?" Ren shaked the smaller man once, rattling his head on top of his shoulders. He let one hand go of the man, keeping him suspended in the air with his other hand as he searched her cupboards for duct tape.

Junko's eyes trailed Ren as he was tying up her boss. He seemed to have lost weight as well, not to mention the small singes of smoke coming from his clothes. That's when she realized that it was still light out! Ren could have been burnt to ashes coming to her rescue. And yet he had still come, even though the sun was out.

Ren had finished up taping the man down, and swung him over his shoulder before marching to Tanaka's room and dropping him there. "You wait here, okay? I'll make sure you get to a nice cozy cell this evening."

He turned back to Junko's room, and stood in the doorway. Junko had gotten back up, looking at Ren. Her dress had been torn up badly, but she was still decent, for the most part.  
"Well…" he said. He didn't know how to continue. Congratulations, I just saved you from your homicidal, rapist boss?

"You're hurting." Junko said, stepping closer towards him. A waft of her odor slammed into his nose, laced thick with stress and anxiety. Ren could feel his canines grow, and placed a hand in front of them.

"I'm fine. I don't even feel anything." That had been true, up until now. Now his body made him very aware of the pain, and that Junko was filled to the brim with just the thing that would heal him right up. And she was coming closer still, the temptation growing with every step she took. Just when he tried to step away, she grabbed his sleeve, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come for me, Ren."

She did. They both knew what would have happened. Ren didn't even know why he had acted the way he had. Sure, he had designated her as his prey, but that didn't mean he had had to rush out to her rescue. Not really. Her hands slowly moved towards his face, removing his hand to reveal his teeth. He tried to stagger back, but in his state he was weak enough to be stopped by her. His body had no intention of resisting her, while his mind was trying to. Stopping Tanaka had been easy, both his body and mind had been wanting to beat up the creep for a long time now. But now…

"Junko, what are you doing?" he asked, as she looked him in the eyes, pulling him into her room. The door swung shut behind them. Ren could feel the tension building up in him as she pulled him to her bedroom, the darkest place in her entire apartment.

"It's okay. You're hurt. You need my blood to make you feel better, don't you?" her voice shook a little as she said it, as she pushed him down on the bed, moving up on top of him.

"I do… I mean, I need blood. It doesn't have to be yours. I'll go out to hunt."

He got up, but she didn't move away. She closed her eyes and swept away the hair from her neck. Ren could see a vein, transporting rich, thick blood through her body. He fought it, he fought every instinct he had. He didn't really want to bite her. Not Junko.  
But when she moved a bit closer, up to the point where their skin was touching, Ren knew he was lost. He turned, forcing her under him and placed his lips on her skin, teeth piercing her until hot blood filled his mouth.  
He wasn't able to resist her after all.


	8. I Do Need You

|Junko's Home|

Ren relished in the feeling of the hot blood, slimy against his tongue. He drank as if he had never tasted anything so delicious before, pressing Junko into the mattress as deeply as he could. Her hands were gripping in his neck, pulling him closer than he had thought possibly, and still it wasn't close enough. She emitted soft cries, but he didn't know if they were of pleasure or pain. He was too far gone to know the difference between the two. Junko smelled so nice, so fresh and alive. He felt himself drowning in the smell, drowning in the feeling that he got from being engulfed by her. His senses didn't feel like they could take anymore, and he felt his head grow satiated with the life-giving substance he relied upon so much.

"Junko…" he whispered, finally releasing her. When he looked down on her, her eyes were closed. For a moment he feared he might have drank too much. With a sigh of relief he concluded her to be fine. The stress of being attacked, and then providing food for him must have been too much for her. At least he had become so gentle to cause her to fall asleep gradually.

Ren stood up, rolling his shoulders. His body was still hurting all over, but not as much as it had before he had drunk from her. Looking outside he could judge that not much time had passed. He should go and check up on Tanaka and then he could come back to watch by Junko's side. Once it was dark, he could bring the man to the police station, though he would have much preferred to toss him in the river and have it done with. When he walked by the window, one of Anju's bats flew in, making an immediate bee-line for the coat rack. He paused by it for a second, leaning forward so he could look the bat in the eyes.

"No need to worry, Anju. She's safe."

The bat squeaked, and Ren wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He hadn't spilled a drop, which was excellent. Junko's blood had been so good, it would have been a shame to waste any of it. When he came to Junko's door, he found it had been locked. He frowned, not being able to remember if he had locked it or not. He had closed it behind him, after getting rid of Tanaka, but he didn't believe he had turned any key. He passed through the apartment hallway, looking right and left. He had to have closed the door. There hadn't been anybody else with him in there, and he didn't believe Junko would have given someone else a key to her apartment. Even he still had to knock on the door, and there was no way she would give someone else a key and ignore him.

When he came at Tanaka's door, it opened without resistance. That was the way he had remembered it. He strode into the room, not seeing Tanaka at first. There were a few traces of blood on the white carpeting from when Ren had roughed him up, but nothing serious. He looked right and left, but couldn't find the man anywhere. After checking through the room several times over, the only thing worthy of notice had been a few tables moved and some desks standing open. There were no missing clothes, and judging from the gun that he had found in the nightstand the man hadn't just stepped out to take revenge on Junko and him. He moved towards the door, and noticed a small letter taped to it.

The letter didn't smell like Tanaka, but the piece of tape did. He unfolded it, and found only a small note, hardly worth the paper that had been used.

_"Thank you for your intervention. It will be forwarded."_

He looked at the words, and turned around the paper to see if there was anything else written that might shed some more light on the situation. The rest of the paper was a beautiful, creamy white however.

"Strange…" he muttered. Judging from the evidence here, he could only conclude that someone had taken Tanaka with them, for reasons he couldn't discern. The room smelled slightly of fear. Tanaka hadn't been in here for very long. And it was a possibility that the person who had taken Junko's boss with them also had done them the courtesy of locking the door behind the two of them. Ren was lucky that said person hadn't walked in on him feeding on Junko. Instead of a thank you- note, it would have been more likely to find a stake pointed at his heart.

Walking back in Junko's apartment, he noticed the sun going down. The bat glanced him over, but then closed its eyes again. He gave it a small poke, and it looked straight at him.

"Anju, no need to keep watch tonight. We'll be fine."

The bat squeaked in response, and closed its eyes again. The vampire made his way to Junko's room, pausing by the door to look at the sleeping young woman. Her mouth was slightly opened, and he thought he could just see the pink of her tongue. His bite marks were visible on the side of her neck, but at least they didn't bleed anymore. He crossed his arms over one another, thinking about the sweet taste in his mouth. He made a slight 'tsk'-sound, thinking over his recent actions.

He hadn't been supposed to go and save her. The bonds between them had been cut by her after all. If he hadn't interfered, it would not have made any difference between the two of them. And yet, the thought of anyone messing with Junko had sent him running to her, so he could keep her safe from anything nasty in the night that could have it out for her. He watched as she let out a sigh, and shifted to lie on her side.

He loosened the tie he had been wearing, before slipping it over his head and dropping it on the ground. Then he stepped out of his shoes, prior to walking towards the bed. He lay down next to her, looking at her relaxed, sleeping face, and closed his eyes.  
"Seems like I've been caught after all." He murmured, wrapping one arm around his protégé, pulling her closer towards him. Tonight, he would feel a lot better knowing exactly where she was.

|Waking Up, Junko|

Junko's eyes fluttered open as she woke up disoriented. There was an arm wrapped around her waist, with someone keeping her very close to them. With a start she remembered her boss attacking her, and her heart leaped in her throat. Her memory immediately supplied her with the remembrance of Ren stepping in and saving her. When she remembered how he had bit her, she brought a hand to her neck. There were two small indentations. She slid her finger across them, thinking about how it had felt. It had hurt, a little bit. But soon after that there had been an immensely pleasurable feeling. She almost felt guilty when she remembered just how good it had felt. Like a warm kiss pressed on skin, and being completely wrapped in the arms of Ren like that had been surprisingly nice.

Had he fallen asleep next to her, once he had drank his fill? She thought it was a reasonable thought, considering how she had also fallen asleep slowly. She raised her upper body a bit, trying to look in the living room. It was dark in there, but there was also the very first hint of light, as vague a promise as there could be.

"Keep still." Ren muttered next to her. He squeezed her closer, burying his face in her hair. Junko's eyes widened in surprise.

"Ren… what are you doing?" she asked, nervously. A slow shiver made its way down her spine when the vampire exhaled, running his breath over her skin.

"I'm being comfortable here, that's what." He mumbled through her mass of hair. A few seconds after that he got up, his golden eyes gleaming in the dark. "Though now that we're both up, it's going to be hard just laying down and being relaxed, won't it." He sounded surprisingly surly about that. His eyes narrowed in the dark, his hand resting on her neck, feeling the small puncture wounds he had left there.

"Junko…" he started. "Thank you. For letting me drink your blood."

"Ren… I'm the one that should be thanking you. You saved me." She retorted, placing a hand on his forehead to see how he was feeling. His skin was cool again, as cool as it usually was. Did she imagine it, or were his eyes looking more gentle than she had ever seen them? He kept on stroking her neck, feeling the small amount of damage he had done to her skin.

"I'll need to fix that though." He mumbled, leaning over to her. Before she knew what was happening, the vampire's tongue slid across the side of her neck. She startled, but he grabbed her by the hand before she could pull away. He brought her warm hand to the side of his face, and she saw him close his eyes.  
"That should take care of the puncture wounds." He announced softly. "I'm going to see about going home now though. I think I have some sisters that will be anxious about news from you."

"It's getting light outside." Junko said. If she sounded slightly out of breath, it was because he had made her jump so badly. He shook his head, still holding her hand as he ran his thumb across her wrist.

"Nah, sun just went down. You slept through an entire day, you lazy girl." His voice sounded more affectionate as well. Not like he would be sneering at her as he usually did. Truth be told, it did make her a little bit nervous. Not to mention that the way he kept touching her in some way made her feel even more jittery than normal. Did he not realize what he was doing to her heart? Before she could reply he bit her finger.

Before he had taken more than a sip, she hit him on the head with her fist. He let go with a groan, grabbing his head in surprise. She looked at him with a vengeance.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing, eh?" she asked him, looking extremely surly.

"What do you mean? You offered me your blood to drink, didn't you? I'm just taking you up on your offer." He said, looking at her with a sly smirk. She could almost feel that smile in the dark as she nursed her wounded finger.

"That was a one-time offer, okay? I was just feeling sorry for you, that is all. I-I-It's not like you can just drink all you want whenever you want right now."

He grabbed her hand again, but didn't bring it to his mouth immediately. "Aren't you feeling sorry for me now, Junko? I'm feeling hungry again, and all I need is a tiny bit of you, it's all I'm going to need for the rest of the entire day."

She hesitated, and in that short moment he brought her finger to his mouth. He closed his mouth around in, and sucked at it in slow, short movements. She could feel that tingle from the last time again, this time spreading from her finger to the rest of her body. His tongue, slightly rough, circled round her finger as he finished, before he let that finger slip out slowly. He grinned again, that slow, lazy grin that he was so good at.  
"Thank you again."

She flung a pillow at him. He dodged as he walked towards the bedroom door, bending over to grab his shoes. The last of the disappearing light seemed to illuminate him slightly from behind. She almost growled at him for dodging the pillow.  
"I'll see you next night then?" he asked, looking back at her.

"… are you sure?" she asked him. She hadn't thought he would be that eager to return. A lot had happened right now, and she would have thought that he would like some more time to sort things out.

"I'm sure. See ya, sleepyhead." He said, waving a hand behind him as he walked out the door. Junko let herself drop back on her bed, before slipping out of her torn dress. The door fell shut behind Ren as he left her apartment.

"See ya… Ren." She mumbled behind him. He was starting to get an even bigger hold on her than before. And right now she didn't know if she liked it or not.

|Maaka Residence|

Ren walked in through the kitchen door, surprised to see Anju sitting there by herself. Usually the only time she entered the kitchen was to keep a look-out for his other, more idiotic sister. She looked at him, with a faint smile, before looking straight ahead again.  
"Anju… been waiting for me, have you?" he asked her, golden eyes meeting golden eyes. The corners of her mouth crinkled up a little bit more, before she dipped her head towards him. And yet the way she looked at him suggested that he had performed exactly the way she had expected him to. Before he could report on Junko, she started speaking.

"You better not talk about her right now, nii-san. There are people in the house who would be a bit too interested in her to guarantee her safety."

"What are you talking about, Anju?" Ren asked, gruffly. He didn't see who in the house could possibly be interested in Junko, as long as everybody kept their mouths shut. "Who in the world wou-"

"REN!" a shrill voice rang out behind him. Ren froze in his place, slowly looking over his shoulder. His grandmother, Elda Marker, was standing right behind him. She jumped for him as he quickly backed away.

"How handsome you've become!" she purred, trying to catch her only grandson. Ren evaded her as well as he could, already having some experience with his grandmother. Anju had fled the scene, not liking the older woman who harassed her sister the way she did.

"I have to go!" Ren yelled, turning his heels into the night.

A little bit later he was sitting on the roof, for the moment safe of his grandmother. He didn't feel like going out to hunt, and to be honest, he wasn't feeling that hungry either. Beneath him he could hear his mother screaming, and the sounds of Karin who was trying to seem as vampire-like as possible. When his father ended up sitting next to him, he remained quiet. But his thought that Henry had tried to flee a house full of arguing woman seemed to be slightly off.

"So… what is her name?" the older vampire said, slightly twisting his goatee.

"Who are you talking about?" Ren retorted, trying to keep a poker face as well as he could. His father looked at him sternly, almost with a sad smile on his face.

"The girl you ran out for in the middle of the day. Don't look so surprised, Ren, Anju isn't the only one in the house who likes to look outside during the day. You smell singed, and like a woman's perfume. I'm old enough to put two and two together."

Ren didn't reply, but looked off in the distance. The town was twinkling with lights, and he thought that if he stared long enough, he would be able to decide which one was Junko's. It would of course have to be the one that shined the brightest and warmest. He let out a sigh as he caught that thought in his head.  
"She's nobody special." He said, defensively. His father made a non-believing sound, looking at his son from the corner of his eye.

"Must be a special girl, for you to start caring about her." Henry continued, only too well aware of exactly how his son liked to feed. He wasn't judging, not at the moment. There were no other families allowed in the Maaka territory, and he hadn't gotten around to finding Ren a decent match. If the boy had found a human girl that was offering him the warmth and solace that Ren should be finding from a vampire wife it was not something that he could easily change. "Just one question, Ren. Would you still be able to do the right thing by her? You know how grandmother feels about mortals. If she finds out about you having a little mortal girl on the side, she would make quite a fuss."

Ren let out a low growl by the thought of anyone messing with his quarry. "I wouldn't let grandmother touch her. She's mine, and mine alone. The only thing I need to do right by her is keep her safe. As long as she's safe, everything will be alright. Nobody messes with my property. And it's only temporary."

The last part sounded almost desperate to Henry's ears. He looked at his son with a more visible concern. "Even if you are certain you will be able to do her right, you have to ask yourself, Ren… will she be able to do the same for you? When it really comes down to it, will she be able to do what is necessary to keep you safe?"

Ren thought about that for a second. Junko and he weren't that close. He didn't know if they would ever be. But she was the one person that he could care for to this degree, his only safe haven away from home in a violent sea. And she had already given him one of the biggest sacrifices he thought a human would be able to give a vampire. As far as trusting a human went, she was the most important one to him. He got up, planning on heading into town. He might accidentally end up at Junko's place, being drawn there by a simple hospitality that he had not yet experienced before.

"Junko... her name is Junko." And with every moment passing she grew more important than he could have guessed.


	9. Meet the Family

|Junko's apartment, Early Evening|

Junko nuzzled deeper into her pillow, feeling extremely content being able to sleep at a moment when she was actually sleepy. The whole agency had been so distraught about chief Tanaka's sudden disappearance three days ago, they had extended their leave for another ten days. For now, all she had to do was get some much needed rest and relaxation. At least, that was the plan…

"Ren, go sleep on the couch!" she grumbled, giving the vampire a shove. He let out a surprised yelp, grabbing at the blankets as he was being pushed out of the big bed. Junko shrieked when the warm covers were pulled away, exposing her bare legs to the colder air in the room.

Ren's head appeared above the edge of the bed, hair spiked up in different directions. His golden scowl lit up in the darkened room. "What the hell is wrong with you woman? I'm not doing anything wrong lying in your bed."

She tugged at the blankets, her long hair partly in front of her face, barely able to see anything like that. "You are doing everything wrong staying in my bed like that! We are not dating, therefore you have no space in my bed whatso- oah!"

She tumbled backwards when he stood up, letting the covers shoot towards her. Landing on her back, she looked up at the ceiling fuming. He snapped her bedside lights on, and looked at her with a pleased look on his face. "You're being awfully spirited this early. Maybe you've recovered enough to give me some breakfast, huh?"

She threw a wayward pillow at his head, which he dodged to her great disappointment. Junko scampered up, walking out of the bedroom in an insulted way. When Ren followed after her he found a chilled blood packet waiting for him on the table. He crinkled his nose in disgust.  
"Really, you're going to make me eat that?" he asked her, looking as if she had done him some great personal wrongs in the few minutes they were awake.

"I am going to make you eat that." She said, popping some bread in the toaster. She checked the fridge for some eggs, continuing her talking to him. "If you think I'm going to let you bite my neck every time the wind turns, you have another thing coming mister." She placed the eggs on the kitchen counter, grabbing a frying pan with which she gestured around agitatedly.  
"You bite me ONE time, and you think that gives you the right to continue to do it. I am not that kind of girl, no way. It's bad enough that you're practically living with me now, I refuse to end up on the menu card as well."

"What do you mean, I'm living with you?" Ren asked as he ran his comb through his hair, fresh shirt still unbuttoned. He went over to the mirror to see how his hair was. "It's a pure coincidence that-"

"You've taken over my bathroom completely?" she finished his sentence.

"Well, if it had more stuff in it, it wouldn't look so filled up with my stuff in it. A girl really should put more care in her looks. Why don't you start by buying some nice perfumes, and a good lotion for when you're-"

"This is what I'm talking about. You've only left my place two times in these past few days, and that was to go and pick up 'essentials'. Now you're here, and the small amount of feeling I had of night and day has completely disappeared. I'm eating breakfast at nine in the evening, Ren!"

He shrugged, draining his blood packet in one go. "For me, this is a pretty normal lifestyle."

Junko let out a sigh. "For you, yes. I'm not a vampire, I should have woken up hours ago. It's my week off, why can't I at least have a normally run life in this short break in the year?"

She shoveled the piping hot eggs in her mouth in a frantic way, without the slightest amount of care if her mouth got burned. "Why are you so bent on avoiding your own home anyway?" she managed to ask around the pile of smoking eggs in her mouth. She ignored the few yellow bits that sprayed out, watching Ren walk into the bathroom.

"Look, I just don't feel like going home, okay?" he yelled from the bathroom. Junko rolled her eyes, and focused on finishing her breakfast. When Ren walked out again, she asked him if he was of a mind to come along to Karin's school festival.

"It's going to go on until late in the night… might be fun to check in on your little sister, right?"

Ren grumbled something that sounded nothing like enthusiasm. "I'll take a rain check. While you go there, how about I go and pick up some groceries?"

Junko's eyes widened when Ren suggested that. "Are you serious? The great and powerful vampire Ren is condescending to go grocery shopping for a lowly mortal like me?"

"If you don't want me to, you can just come out and say it!" he snarled, grabbing a tie from the dresser. Junko waved her hands in front of her, apologetically.

"No, no, if you want to go, be my guest! There's a grocery list by the door. Just remember to add bread to it, okay?" she grabbed some money from her wallet, putting it on the table. She added a bit extra, saying "And if you want, you can buy yourself something nice too…"

Ren raised his eyebrows at her, casting her an incredulous look. "You're treating me to something nice?"

"Shut up and get the groceries." She mumbled back, making her way to the bathroom. Ren watched her go, shrugging as she disappeared from view.

He knew what he would like to be treated to, and that was another meal, feasting on her delicious blood. He could still taste the slippery, warm and sweet feeling that had been in his mouth as he had drunk from her. The past few days he had spent at her place had been enough for him to rest up a bit, allowing him to feel better each passing day. Because of that, he hadn't been able to go out and hunt, and the blood packets were a very meager substitute for a real meal. But Junko wouldn't let him bite her, so he had to be content with some growling remarks and the scent of her filling the apartment.

He walked out of the apartment building, thinking about how his life had turned out these past few days. He hadn't thought such a sedentary life style would have ever suited him, and here he was, picking up groceries. He had volunteered to get the groceries. Now there was a shocking plot twist if there ever was one. He was so absorbed in his own actions he failed to notice two women trying to get his attention.

He stopped near one of the book stores, looking at the newspapers they were selling. He was almost walking away, when one certain article caught his eye : "business man found in river". Ren scanned the article quickly, and soon found the name of Junko's – now late – employer. He frowned quizzically. He remembered beating the guy up a little bit, but he was fairly sure that he hadn't left him at the bottom of the river.

He froze when he felt a cold, hard metal object being pressed to his side.

"Ren Maaka?" a cool voice asked. The tone suggested that a wrong move might end up having very unpleasant consequences. He was really losing his touch, getting snuck up on like this. The movement he sensed behind his back suggested two men, with the build of roughly a pair of gorillas. Nothing he couldn't handle, but getting shot and walking away in the middle of the street wasn't the best way to maintain a low profile.

"Yes."

"Our boss would like to have a word with you. Please step into the car sir." The other man answered, stepping to the side so Ren could turn.

When he complied, noting the men were calling him sir and not threatening him outright, he couldn't help but admire the sleek, white limousine that was waiting on the curb of the street. The men, clad in Armani suits, gestured for him to step in.

The inside of the car was every bit as luxurious as the outside had promised. When he didn't see anyone else in the car, he glanced at the two men, raising one thin eyebrow at them. When the both of them were inside, one of them explained 'the boss' was waiting at 'the usual place'.

Ren assumed these guys thought he had regular dealings with their employer, a feeling that was only confirmed by the glass of very choice champagne that was being handed to him. The rest of the journey was spent in silence, as he watched the streets of Tokyo slide by the tinted glasses.

The limo stopped in front of the Park Hyatt Hotel. The only restaurant Ren knew of that was located there was the Kozue restaurant, but the place was almost impossible to get into, unless you reserved from months before. Either someone had been planning on seeing him for a very long time, or they were important enough to arrange a table at short notice. Neither of the two options seemed to be very appetizing to him.

The guards led him to the elevators, pressing the top button before stepping back, leaving him alone in the elevator. He checked his outfit nervously, not sure what was waiting for him when the doors would be opening at the top. The answer to that question turned out to be a waiter who looked so perfectly trimmed he could have been a mannequin, bowing perfectly from the middle, informing if he was 'The honorable Ren Maaka-sama?'. Ren gave a curt nod, too taken aback to be able to form a concrete answer. The man smiled at him, gesturing to the tables behind him.

"If you would follow me, sir?"

Ren stepped behind him, feeling rather awkward in this atmosphere. They passed table after table, ranging from happy young families to aging, wealthy couples. Finally the waiter stopped at a table, the sole occupant burying his nose in the menu card. A gold ring, set with a black diamond, adorned his pinkie. When the man folded the menu, Ren could see one of those typical faces that you forget the moment you looked away. The only distinctive feature was a scar that ran thinly across the man's lips, to the left side of his face.

"Champagne, and two times beef. Saignant." He ordered, not even looking at the waiter who walked away briskly. The man's dark brown eyes were instead glued to Ren's face, taking in every sharp angle of the young vampire.

Ren said nothing, resisting his urge to smirk at the man. The man reeked of blood, as if it was seeped in his every pore. Still, there was something familiar in the way the man carried himself.

"Ren Maaka, I presume." The man stated, folding his hands in front of him. The black diamond reflected the eyes in his golden eyes.

Ren cocked his head to the side. "That's what everyone has been asking in the last hour. The more important question is, who are you?"

The man smiled, but his eyes didn't smile with him. He waited until the waiter had poured them both a glass of champagne, before dismissing the man with a flick of his hand.  
"To you, that is the important question. And since I already know everything about you, it's only fair you should ask it."

"Everything?" Ren asked, this time not able to hold back his smirk.

"You're the oldest son of the Maaka family. There are five in total of you, your parents and two younger sisters. You're quite a shy bunch, but even you all have to register, so in the end it was easy to find out who you are. Descendants from one of the earliest families to ever flee to Japan, the Markers. You seem to have no shortage of money. And now, you seem to have a connection to my precious daughter."

"Your daughter?" Ren asked, taken aback with the amount of information the man had about them. He had missed out on their grandmother though. Of course she had been reported as dead a good deal of years back, but still… at least he didn't know they were vampires.

"Of course it's easy for you to confuse girls, but I was at least hoping that Junko would leave an impression. You haven't left her apartment for the last five days."

"You're Junko's father?!" Ren said, loudly. People looked at him, annoyed for having the pleasant atmosphere broken. The waiter brought a pair of exquisite steaks, baked to perfection. When the man had left, Akane senior picked up his utensils. Cutting his steak, he talked in a calm tone.

"Well, it seems like you finally leave the other girls alone. Though I was planning on doing some damage for that, until you happened to save Junko from the affections of her superior. Very nice intervention of you, and the main reason you're not in his place at this moment. Don't let it go cold, it's delicious." He urged Ren to eat.

Ren obeyed, never taking his eyes of the man for a second. "What do you want from me?"

"The same I want of everyone, my boy. You happen to be involved with the most important person left in my life, and I would hate it if something were to happen to my dearest girl. She's been trying to leave the country for some period of time now. I would like you- " he pointed at Ren with a piece of bloody steak, before shoveling it in his mouth "- to make sure that doesn't happen. I also want you to keep her happy and safe at all times, because she's my darling girl. That means you don't fool around with other women, you do everything possible to make sure she doesn't feel bad and protect her. Seeing as the two of you are currently involved, that shouldn't be a problem."  
The man smiled at Ren. "I'd like to welcome you in the family, my boy. So make sure you don't screw things up."

Ren swallowed down the thoroughly chewed piece of steak in his mouth.

|Karin's school festival|

"My, what good work you all did, Maaka-chan." Junko said, looking around the brightly lit up schoolyard, filled with food and game stands. People jostled by them, talking and pointing. Karin blushed, pressing her fingers together.

"Thank you, Akane-san. But it's pretty normal for a school festival."

Junko noticed Usui walking around, scanning the crowd for Karin. Junko smiled, pointing a thumb at the boy. "And how are things going with Usui-kun? Are the two of you a couple yet?"

Karin flushed a scarlet red, twiddling her fingers even more furiously now. "A-a-a-akane-san! What are you saying?!"

Junko giggled at the younger girl's obvious distress. Poor Karin was getting so stressed out at a simple question like that. "But the two of you have been looking so on edge today. Is there something going on?"

Karin looked quite sullen when she replied. "Grandmother found out there's a school event today, and she might be stopping by. She still thinks I'm a normal vampire, who hasn't turned yet. If she finds out about my condition, and Usui-kun helping me out, she's going to be furious. And she really doesn't like humans at all either."  
Karin blinked when she realized something. "I almost forgot since you're always spending time with nii-chan, but you're human too, Akane-san. If she finds out about you, she might be going after you too."

"Ah, but you're all so very friendly, Maaka-chan. I'm sure she wouldn't do anything horrible."

Karin didn't look so sure about it. Usui ran up to them, finally having seen them.

"Maaka, I think someone of your family is around. They found a couple, unconscious in the park."

The girl lost her blush immediately. She grabbed Usui and Junko by the hand, dragging them towards the school building. When they were inside, the girl scanned the sky for something out of the ordinary.  
Turning around, she herded them towards an empty classroom. Usui tried to protest, but Junko slipped out of the girl's grip.

"In need to use the toilet first, okay? I'll join you afterwards." Junko announced. Karin said she had to go up one floor, and could she please hurry up? Junko nodded, waving at the two teenagers. Surely Karin was getting worked up about nothing, right?

She took the flight of stairs two steps at a time. Coming up the stairs, she nearly bumped into a rather short woman who was standing at the top.

"Oh, sorry!" she exclaimed, before she froze in place. "Maaka-chan?" she blurted out, before realizing she was wrong. Even though the faces were quite alike, the hairstyle and general posture were totally off. The woman smiled sweetly.

"Oh, you've already my cute granddaughter, haven't you? That's just wonderful." The woman's eyes narrowed into slits as she inhaled. "And if I'm not mistaken, you've also met my handsome grandson. Don't look surprised, he's not the only one in the family who can use bats to look around town."  
The woman stepped closer to her, forcing her down a step.  
"Care to explain why my wonderful Ren-kun is spending time at a human's home?"

Junko opened up her mouth to speak, but couldn't quite form a proper sentence. The little pricks Ren had left in her neck itched uncomfortable. The vampire leaned closer to her. Junko could feel the woman's breath running across her cheeks as she spoke.

"I think you're totally the blood type I like."


	10. A Safe Place

|Karin's School|

Junko clenched her teeth together, her brain reeling to find a way to answer the woman who was bending over towards her so menacingly. She thought she could see where Ren got his less friendly moments from. Fangs gleamed in the harsh light of the lamps, and outside people could be heard laughing and shouting.

"I… I… my name…" she stammered out, taking another step back.

The woman reached out before she could get away any further, grabbing Junko by the throat. The woman had the same eye color as Karin, for all an onlooker would know it was Karin who was doing this to her. Except the long hair, and the slimmer chest, there was almost nothing differentiating the two.

"I don't need to know your name, silly girl." The woman pulled Junko closer again. "You are a bit older than I need, so maybe I should just erase your memory and be done with it."

Junko's dark brown eyes grew wider as she attempted to pry the vampire's hands from her, but it was as if she had been caught in a steel vice. Breathing alone was hard enough, but at the same time her heart was stammering violently in her chest. She found herself praying that anybody – Ren! – would come and save her from this predicament.

"Grandma!" Karin's voice came closer, Junko could hear the younger girl running up the stairs. "What are you doing to Akane-san?" she yelled.

Junko felt her feet lifting from the ground as the woman moved towards the window, ignoring her granddaughter's cries for her friend's safety. When the woman jumped, Junko grabbed her hands, praying that this wasn't some kind of crazed suicide the vampire was executing. They dropped on the ground safely enough, and the grip around her throat was replaced by a grip around her wrist. The woman pulled her along, into some bushes on the school grounds. When Junko noticed the bodies of a boy and a girl on the ground, she gasped.

The vampire followed her gaze, and let out a chuckle. "I didn't kill them, if that's what you're worried about."  
Junko swallowed when the woman released her, but thought better of running away. She knew from firsthand experience with Ren just how fast a vampire could be.

"I take it you would be Maaka-chans grandmother then?" she asked in what she hoped was a demure enough tone. She watched as the pale woman drew a needle from her purse, drawing blood from the two teenagers on the ground.

"My name is Elda Marker, and yes, I am Karin's grandmother. She's quite cute, isn't she?" the woman continued, placing a hand against her own cheek as she said so.

Junko let out a sigh as she realized the amount of self-praise that went into that last sentence. Still, she had better not anger the woman. She didn't seem to be the type that would let herself be pressured into something she didn't want to do.  
The woman stood up, the collected blood in a bottle. Just then, Karin rushed in the bushes as well, finally having spotted them.

"Grandma, please don't hurt Akane-san! She's really, really, really nice and doesn't mean any harm. I promise!" the girl's face was flushed, her breath coming in ragged gasps. It seemed like she had ran all the way done, and then some to find them here.

Elda looked at her granddaughter, flipping her long hair behind her shoulder. "Hurt her? I just wanted to scare her a little bit. It seems like two of my darling grandchildren have gotten themselves in a mess. I just wanted to check things out, and get something important as well."  
She showed the bottle filled to the brim with the red liquid to the two women with a smile. "Why don't we walk towards the house, and we will talk everything over, okay?"

|A Bit Later|

Junko and Karin walked behind the elder woman, who seemed to have no problem in walking around in this company. Sometimes they exchanged a short glance, before facing in front of them again.  
"Girl. Maybe you should tell me your name now." Elda said over her shoulder, the bottle filled with blood glinting in the moonlight.

"Ah… My name is Akane Junko, ma'am." She replied quickly, making a small bow while walking. Elda slowed down her walking until she was between the two girls, grabbing each one by the arm. Pressing the girls close to her, the older vampire grinned as if this was a very normal occurrence for them all.  
Junko could see slight panic in Karin's eyes as her grandmother did this.

"Grandma… why are you collecting blood without biting people?" she asked softly, trying to ignore the happy hum with which she was being dragged forth.

Elda held up the bottle a little bit, showing it to Karin with a smile. "This is for your grandfather. James is still sleeping, but this should wake him right up." The woman smiled, looking up at the moon before pulling the girls closer to her. "Has my son told you about his father, Karin?" she asked.  
Karin shook her head, and this was all Elda needed to launch into a story about her and her husband.

"… and then –" Elda neared the conclusion of how James had proposed to her. "- then he took my long hair, and kissed it! Isn't that just romantic?" she burst out at the end of her story, blushing like she was a young girl again. "Your grandfather is truly a really fantastic man!"

Junko let out a nervous laugh, trying to decide if the woman had truly forgotten about her, or was still deciding what to do with the human who was in the loop about everything.  
Karin, who wasn't possibly on the menu, was more able to appreciate the romantic implications. "You got married two hundred years ago, and you still sound like you're in love. That must be nice…"

Elda chuckled. "What about that evil eyed boy?"

"Why do you think that, why are you suspecting us?" Karin cried out in surprise.

"The wisdom of age, that's all!" Elda laughed out loud, giving Junko a sideways glance as well. "And you were being so flirty about it, it was kind of hard not to notice the two of you."

"Please don't tell mom and dad!" Karin started to plead. Elda let go of Junko's arm, hugging her granddaughter.

"Of course I won't rat out my adorable granddaughter." She patted Karin on the head. "I want you to meet James right away! When he wakes up al groggy and can't tell us apart, I'm going to slug him!" the woman said, sounding as if she was looking forward to the event.

Junko froze up immediately when the woman turned to her. They weren't far from the Maaka residence now, she recognized the streets where she had slapped Ren once.  
"And seeing as how my handsome grandson seems to be having a secret of his own, I think maybe I should have a little talk with you as well." Elda said, her reddish brown eyes gleaming towards the only human in the company.

Junko waved her hands in front of her, trying to diffuse a potentially harmful situation. "Me and Ren are not involved like that. I mean, we're friends now, but it took us a pretty long time to become friends, and even now we fight a lot, so you really shouldn't worry about us at all. I mean-"  
She was shut up when someone hit her on the head. With a yelp she looked from where the hit had come, straight in Ren's golden gaze.

"You're making things complicated again." He told her, trying to ignore his grandmother grabbing his arm in a hug. "You could just say we're friends, or that I'm helping you."

Junko scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "Well, you try explaining things when you think you might die any moment."

Ren arched his eyebrows. "I had to do it when your father kidnapped me for a chat."

Junko's world froze up when she heard those words. In her daze she didn't hear much about how Ren tried to get away from his grandmother, or how Karin was trying to make things less hectic. Her father had found Ren. What had he said? What had Ren said?  
She stopped her rampant thoughts when Ren laid his arm around her shoulders as he started to pull her away from his relatives. "I'm going to bring Junko home. I'll try to be back before the sun comes up." He said over his shoulder as he kept a brisk pace. It seemed like he had gotten away this time without getting his clothes torn open.

Karin waved goodbye after them, and Junko thought she could also hear Elda shouting towards her to 'stop by for a chat soon'. She shuddered for a moment.  
"Thanks for picking me up." She mumbled towards Ren. A shiver ran across her spine when she thought about her father. When Ren laid his jacket across her shoulders, she looked up at him in surprise. He looked to the side, clearing his throat.

"You're weaker than me. And if you're this annoying when you're healthy, I don't even want to know what you're like when you're sick." He said, pointedly not looking in her direction.

"Ah…" Junko said.

"What's 'ah' supposed to mean, huh?" Ren asked, as if he was insulted by that answer.

"I just said 'ah'. Not everything has to be a comment on what you do!" Junko replied to him.

The both looked away from each other again, Ren with his hands stuffed in his pockets, Junko wearing his jacket.  
"Hey Ren… What did you and my dad talk about?" she asked him softly.

Ren grunted. "Well, he threatened me a bit, for starters. You might have mentioned your father is some kind of gang lord. And well… he told me that if I don't stay by your side, I might as well prepare myself to sleep with the fishes soon."

Junko bit the inside of her cheek. "Look, I'm sorry he had to drag you into this. It's why I want to leave Japan, okay? If I have to stay here, then he'll try to get me into his world. I'm not cut out for a place like that. I don't want to live his life."

"So you're hoping that book you're writing will somehow give you the ticket out of here. Where are you planning on going?" he asked her. He seemed to be curious about what she was planning on doing.

Junko kicked a pebble away from them. "I was thinking… Europe. London sounds like a lovely place. And maybe I could travel around a bit, see different countries. Have some fun. My sister always wanted to see the Louvre. She loved painting, and she was really talented, just like my mother."

"You have a sister?" Ren asked surprised.

"She died." Junko replied curtly. She left it at that, Ren didn't need to know every detail. She didn't need him pitying her or her sister.

The reason her sister had died was because of what her father did. A rivaling gang had shot his car, thinking he was in there. In truth, both her sister and her mother had been in there. They had borrowed the car to come pick her up from school. It had been hot that summer, and they had made a habit of getting ice cream, and then strolling through the shopping streets.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ren told her. He sounded genuine about the sentiment, as he sent her a crooked smile. Junko grimaced, wiping away her long dark hair behind her ear. She didn't notice how Ren followed the movement, his eyes not lingering on her jugular but instead just appreciating the gesture in itself.

|Later|

When they finally neared her apartment, Ren looked around him. Now that he was actually paying attention, he could see two men hidden in the shadows of some trees nearby. In the elevator he got the first seed of an idea, a way to help her.  
"Junko… I know how you can be safe. There is a place in town where your father won't be able to find you. Even he won't be able to get in, and that is in the case he manages to find out where it is."

"Eh?" Junko asked, surprised. Ren stopped at the door. He would have to make the trip back to his own home this time, if she agreed to what he would be proposing.

"My home is shielded. Humans can't enter there without a vampire of my family guiding them inside. It would be an adjustment for you, living there. My parents would have to agree. I'll have to tell them about you." He rested his head against the doorframe when he realized how that conversation would be going. His father knew, his father had discussed Junko with him. But the step from 'I know a human girl' to 'I want the human girl to stay with us' might be a bit sudden.

"I'll have to tell them how I screwed up in the first place. Not looking forward to that." He groaned. He looked up when Junko placed a warm hand on his arm. For a moment he couldn't believe how brightly she was smiling at him.

"You would do that for me? Really? If you're serious… I mean… I don't know. If it would work, and your parents agree, it would be amazing. If I'll survive… your grandmother is a bit intense." She ended the last part in the tone people usually use when they say something and really hope they're not offending you.

"I'm serious. You can still ask me questions over there. Hell, you can ask my parents, and my sister. For some reason the old hag seems to like you, so maybe she'll be willing to talk to you as well. And you'll be safe there. That's the most important part."

He froze up when Junko threw her arms around his neck, standing on her tippy toes so she would be able to reach. He patted her back a bit insecurely, listening to her exclaiming what a great friend he was. Feeling her warm body pressed against him felt unfamiliar. Completely unfamiliar, but also extremely right. He hadn't thought a human would be able to evoke this sort of emotion from him. As she pulled away from him, he imagined he could see little lights twinkling in her eyes.  
He offered her a place in a house infested with vampires, and she was grateful he offered her a safe haven. At first she would have been reluctant. In the first days they had known each other, he would never had considered offering it to her.

But she was so fragile. Unlike him, she could be harmed so easily, and it would take ages for her to recover that. Her apartment had been his home away from home, but he found the idea of having her so close by his own living space almost just as agreeable. She didn't judge him. In a way, he was now offering her what she had been providing for him for so long.

She handed him back his jacket, making him promise to call her as soon as he knew if it was okay or not. The way she was rocking back and forth on her heels suggested she would be packing before he had a chance to get home.  
"You better be careful for the rest of the evening, okay?" he told her, flipping a finger against her forehead. She stuck her tongue out at him, still looking excited.  
"I will. You don't forget to call me. And say hi to your sisters for me. Oh, maybe I should bring Anju a gift. Maybe I should get something nice for Karin as well. Would your parents drink from the blood packets I'll be bringing? They won't try to drink from me, will they?"

He listened to the stream of questions and musings with an amused smirk. At the last one, he grabbed her by the chin. "Nobody else gets to drink from you. Only me. And only when you tell me it's okay."

Junko started to blush at the close contact, before looking at him worried. "Are you hungry now? You had nothing to eat all day, since you didn't finish your blood packet this morning."

He frowned when she told him she had found out. Those blood packets were really only good if he were to be starving. He usually tried to hide he didn't drink all of them, but lately that and the scarce times she let him bite her were the only nourishment he had.

Other woman had simply not seemed delicious compared to her.

"Are you telling me I can have some now?" he asked her. She looked to the ground, shuffling her feet. Feeding was still an awkward something to her. She was the first woman who was actually aware of him drinking from her, so he didn't know how to handle the situation either.

"Only if you're hungry." She mumbled, bangs hanging in front of her face. He made her lift up her face again, lowering his mouth to near her neck. Being so close to her, feeling how anxious this made her. Somehow the event made her stress out a little bit, making her seem more appealing than before. He stroked a finger across the length of her neck. Her breathing quickened as he pushed her inside the doorway, closing the door behind them.

"I'll be gentle." He promised her, as his fangs started to elongate. She nodded curtly, waiting for him. As his fangs pierced her skin, she let out a soft cry, wrapping her arms around him. He held her up by the waist, being as gentle as he possibly could.

The feeling that he didn't want her to leave Japan at all started to gnaw in his stomach.


	11. Welcome

|Maaka Residence|

"You want a human to live here? Ren, have you been walking in the sun?" Carrera burst loose, grabbing her son by the tie. "What has gotten into you, trying to get one of those in our home, huh?"

"Now now, mother, perhaps the boy has a good reason for suggesting this." Henry offered in an attempt to pacify his wife.

"A good reason? It's bad enough our son acts as some sort of gigolo when he's out on the town, we don't need that kind of behaviour in the house!" his wife retorted, jerking her hand down. The movement tightened up Ren's tie, leaving him in a very uncomfortable situation.

"We're helping the other brat too, aren't we?" Ren managed to choke out, referring to the Usui boy his sister was infatuated with. "Besides, if we don't help out Junko, they might find out about us. She still has pictures of me."

The fight was stopped short when Elda walked in. The three vampires interrupted their domestic fight, looking at the woman nervously. They had tried not to be too loud around the woman since they had found out James had dried up in his coffin. When Elda looked around the room, she immediately went after Ren. He replied to the action by maneuvering his mother in between them.

"I think my mother-in-law will be able to agree with me on this one, Ren. Don't you think that bringing a human in the house would be a horrible move, Elda?" Carrera suggested, looking at Elda's face for a reaction.

The woman blinked a few times at this suggestion, before looking at Ren. "You're thinking about bringing your girlfriend here?"

"She's not my girlfriend! She's just a friend that happens to be female and human!" he yelled at his grandmother. Elda took advantage of this outburst to slip past Carrera and glomp her grandson.

"Well… I did say I wanted to talk to… Junko, wasn't it? I told her I needed to talk to her, so you might as well bring her here." Elda said as she started to pluck around in Ren's hair. Ren froze at finding this unexpected ally.

"Mother! What are you saying, we can't bring a human in the house! Think of all the problems!" Henry exclaimed, stupefied by his mother's reaction. "Why, it'll be nothing but annoyances, not to mention that-"

Elda raised a hand to stop her son from objecting, before turning to Ren. "Since I told you that the girl can come live here, why don't you go tell Karin that her friend will be staying over? I'm sure she'll be very happy to hear it."

As soon as Ren left the room, Elda turned to her son and his wife. Carrera tapped her foot on the ground in annoyance. "For once I was sure you would be agreeing with me. Why is it you can never do me that favour?"

Elda flipped a lock of hair over her shoulder, looking back to the door to make sure Ren wasn't lingering in the hallway. "Isn't it obvious? I don't like the idea of a human staying in the house any better than you do, but perhaps it will be for the better."

"What do you mean mama?" Henry asked, not seeing how his mother who vehemently hated humans was treating the situation so very calmly. His father had been extremely pro-human, while his mother had always seen them as nothing more than food.

"Henry… the best way to make people realize they wouldn't be able to live with each other is make them live with each other. As soon as my darling grandson has to spend more time with the girl, he'll realize he'd be better off with someone of his own kind and tell her to get lost. And maybe seeing the problems between Ren and that Junko girl will make Karin realize too that she shouldn't get involved with that evil eyed boy." Elda let out a haughty laugh at the simplicity of her plan.  
"I'm telling you, that girl won't last for two weeks in a vampire home. Humans are so fragile and annoying, she'll soon realize that whatever reason she has for fleeing to this place, the outside world will be far better than in here. Just make sure you erase her memory as soon as she decides to leave this place."

Henry let out a dejected sigh as he heard her plan. "Mama… you're so evil sometimes… playing with the emotions of your own grandchildren like that."

Elda looked at her son in surprise. "What are you talking about Henry? They might be annoyed and upset for a little while, but in the end they'll be thankful for the experience. Forbid a child a treat, and it will sneak behind your back to get it. Allow it the treat, and after a while it will lose interest in it no matter how badly they were begging for it. Ren and Karin are still young, they'll bounce right back after this experience."

Carrera picked up one of the wine glasses standing on the table, walking over to a carafe filled with blood. "No matter how much I hate to say it, she's right Henry. We can't risk our children to be that entangled with the human world. It'll only cause trouble."

Elda nodded, her arms crossed over one another. Her eyes caught the sparse light in the room, glinting in the dark. "I told Karin before also, a vampire that falls in a love with a human will always fall in anguish."

|The following evening|

"Say Ren… you never mentioned your home was so big." Junko said, looking up at the looming mansion. It was surrounded by a bunch of dead trees, with fog hanging between the roots. Every once in a while a bat zoomed by.

"Well, you never mentioned you'd be bringing this much stuff." Ren puffed, pushing a trolley with her luggage. If he hadn't made sure her father's goons were unconscious by the time they left, they would have known for sure Junko was leaving her apartment.  
"Did you really have to bring the television?" he added, leaning on the luggage, catching his breath.

Junko looked back, not feeling very sorry for the vampire. With his super strength, he was probably just being a baby about things so she would offer to let him bite her again. "I don't know how long I'll be here. So I brought all the stuff I thought I'd need."  
She continued, patting the camera hanging around her neck. "Oh, wait!" she starting to rummage through her pockets. Ren waited, watching as she was searching for whatever she had brought along.

"Here it is!" she exclaimed, pulling out an usb stick. She handed it to him with a small bow.

"What am I supposed to do with this thing?" he asked, shaking it a bit.

"It has your picture on it. You know, the one I used to blackmail you so long ago? Anyway, you're being a real stand-up guy helping me out, so I thought I'd just give it back to you. No strings attached whatsoever!"

Ren looked down on her, before putting the small piece of plastic in his front pocket. "Don't smile so much when you say the word 'blackmail'. That's a crime, you know! At least try to look like you're sorry."

Junko smiled, waving her hands in the air in front of her. "Why should I be sorry? It's because of that picture that we're friends now, right?"

Ren's face flushed bright red, and he started to push the trolley towards the door, nearly running over her foot. "Don't say that kind of stuff so lightly, you stupid woman."

"What are you being cranky about now?" she asked, confused.

They stopped in front of the door, as he waved a finger in her direction. "You're some kind of demon, just admit it already! No person in their right minds would think we're –"

Ren stopped whatever he was going to say when the door was opened by Karin. Junko immediately ignored Ren, instead hugging Karin and being hugged in return.  
"Maaka-chan! So good to see you!"

"Akane-san! Glad to see you found it alright!" the younger girl replied, looking just as happy as Junko was feeling. "Everyone is waiting inside to welcome you, come in, come in!" Karin pulled Junko inside the door, leaving Ren to struggle with all of the luggage.

As soon as Junko entered the main hall, the smile disappeared from her face. Anju was standing to the side, her doll Bge-kun as always pressed to her chest. On the stairs was Elda, leaning against the railing. And in the middle of the hallway were who she presumed were Ren's parents.

She bowed deeply. "Thank you for taking me in your home. I hope I won't be an inconvenience!" she said, hoping she was being polite enough.  
When she got back up, the father took her hands and started to shake them. He looked to be an intimidating man, with his hair and mustache so very stylized. His goatee was also imposing to her, and she didn't know how to react to this welcome.

"So you're the human girl Ren is fussing about these days. Nice to meet you, my name is Henry Marker. You've already met my daughters and my mother, so let me instead introduce my wife, Carrera Ma-"

He stopped talking after he was hit by a thrown slipper, releasing Junko's hands. His wife walked up next to him, throwing him a displeased glance. "What do you think you're doing, being so friendly with a human after your constant whining about the arrangement? Really now, there's no reason to act overly nice to make up for earlier doubts."  
She looked at Junko in a fierce way, her golden eyes gleaming in the dimly lit hall. "My name is Carrera Marker. I understand you'll be living in our home for some time."

Junko bowed again, to get away from the piercing gaze. She already started to rethink her decision of coming here. Mr. Marker clambered up from the ground, talking to his wife in what sounded like a reconciliationary tone.  
"Now now, mother, we shouldn't be fighting in front of our guest. I simply thought it would be nice if we all start off on the good foot, considering we'll all be spending some time together. No need to be so hostile to the girl."

Junko swallowed when the woman looked at her again. She laughed nervously, reaching behind her on the trolley for the presents she had prepared as a thank you for the family.  
"I… brought you a little something, as a thank you." she mumbled, handing over the box intended for Ren's parents.

Carrera accepted it, holding the box in front of her. For a moment Junko thought the woman was pleased with the gift, but she soon looked as stern as before.  
"Well… I guess you have some taste to bring us a gift like this." She replied, showing the gift to Henry. The man made an approving sound at the sight of the fine, crystal wine glasses they had received. Junko had thought they might like them, after Ren had told her how his parents liked to fancy up drinking blood a little. The things had just been gathering dust at her place anyway.

"Maaka-chan… I also got you something. Maaka-san, for you too." She directed herself to the sisters. For Karin she had gotten an exotic cookbook, and for the youngest Maaka sibling a stuffed bear. Karin thanked her profusely, while Anju hardly flinched at the newest addition to her collection, making Junko wonder if she had indeed gotten the right gift for the girl.

"Uhm… Madam Marker… I also got you something…" Junko mumbled, not feeling very reassured by the way the mater familias was staring at her. Elda descended the stairs, seemingly surprised at also receiving a gift. Ren had refused to talk much about his grandmother – who he consistently referred to as an old hag – but the snippets he had loosed had led her to visit a second hand costume shop. In luck she had been able to buy a Victorian dress at a good price, hoping this would also give Elda a reason not to put her on the midnight snack menu.

"Oh… you have surprising taste." Elda remarked, glancing back at Junko with her dark eyes.

"It's just a little something…" Junko muttered, folding her hands in front of her.

Henry cleared his voice. "Well, the night is still young. Ren, why don't you show Miss Akane to her room? Afterwards we might all have a little chat in the living room, hmm?"  
Ren grunted, moving towards the stairs. Karin immediately volunteered to help out, taking one of the smaller boxes to carry upstairs. The older vampires left the room, leaving the younger generation to sort things out themselves.

Junko flinched when Karin managed to trip on the stairs with the box. Bge-kun started to laugh at the clumsy girl, until he was shut up by Anju.  
"Maybe Ren and me should just take care of things. Why don't you two go and relax?" Junko suggested, hoping her first day in the mansion wouldn't immediately end in bloodshed.

Karin objected at first, before being chased away by Ren. Anju followed, visibly relieved her sister wouldn't trip while carrying heavy boxes. Junko saw them walk away with a smile, before she started to lug some boxes filled with clothes upstairs.

"If you hurry up Ren, I have a nice gift for you too!" she promised, already halfway the stairs. 

He huffed when he heard that. "Who said I wanted a gift, huh?"  
Still, he hurried up the stairs a bit faster after that.

|Two hours later|

Junko plopped backwards on the old-fashioned, four-poster bed, next to Ren. Getting all her stuff up the stairs to the second floor had been harder than she had thought. The room itself was spacious enough, though the boarded-up window was a bit of a downer.  
"I am never helping you move again." Ren warned her, before he grabbed the pillow and slapped it down on her stomach.

"You will if you ever want me to move out again." She replied, slapping the same pillow on his face.

He growled, but before he could get up to take revenge she had already gotten back up again, searching through the boxes.  
"How do you have so much energy left?" he asked, letting his head roll back again. "You really are some sort of devil, admit it already."

"You should be nicer to the girl who has gotten you a thanks-for-letting-me-move-in present." She replied, giving him a sober looking box. It was smaller than the one she had given to Elda, but it was still the kind of box people put clothes in.  
He sat up straight, looking at the box she had placed on his lap. "Come on, open it." Junko urged him, feeling slightly nervous about what he would think of it.

"You got me a coat?" he asked incredulously, holding up the thick woolen coat. The fabric was of a smart cut, especially designed for taller men.

"Try it on!" she commanded, sitting on the bed again.

He rolled his eyes, before standing up and slipping on the dark coat. Pulling away the cover from a large mirror, he examined himself. "Well, at least you have some taste in mens clothes. Never would have guessed it from your wardrobe."

"I prefer my clothes to be comfy. You on the other hand like other people looking at you." she examined his profile in the coat, nodding approvingly. "It looks good on you though. I was worried you might catch a cold in this weather, since you keep running around in that flimsy jacket."

He grabbed her head, rubbing his knuckles over the top of it, making her yell out in indignation.  
"Stop that! What you doing that for?" she demanded to know, struggling to break loose to no avail.

"Vampires don't catch colds, stuuuupid. And if you thought I was going to get you a welcome present you're wrong on that account too."

She swung the pillow towards his face, hitting full mark. His stupefied look made every second of his previous action worth it.  
"Admit it Ren, you're happy I'm moving in here!" she said, not letting go of the pillow.

"As if! It's only because I… wanted to do you a favour!" he replied, trying to get a better hold of the pillow. "Why should I be happy about you moving in here?"

"Because I'm the only one around you can do stupid stuff like this with." She replied smugly, giving it an extra tug.

Ren let go of the pillow, sending her tumbling of the bed. When she went down with a swear, he sniggered. "You're right, I can't do that kind of stuff with anyone else in the house."

Junko suppressed another curse ready to escape her lips when she saw how happy Ren was looking at the moment. She hadn't thought he would be actually happy she moved in, she had only wanted to tease him.

She decided to ignore the little skip her heart made.

Before either one could say anything else, someone knocked on the open door. Ren's face drew white when he saw Elda standing in the door opening. Junko swallowed, having hoped that perhaps she would have been able to avoid the oldest vampire in the house for a little while.  
"Ren, I'd like to talk to Junko-chan for a little while. Would you mind leaving us girls alone?"  
When Ren hesitated to move, she continued. "Or would you rather play a game with grandma, like we used to?"

Before Junko had blinked properly, Ren had left the room. She propped her head on one fist, still sitting on the ground. 'Big load of help you are.' She thought.

Elda took a seat on the dusty, ornate chair standing near the desk, draping her white dress around a bit. Junko got up, gingerly bowing towards the woman.  
"Madam Marker… I was just… I meant to say that…"

"Call me Elda, Junko-chan" The vampire told her, her fangs suddenly very visible.

"Elda, madam." Junko said, before Elda motioned her to come closer. When she was close enough, the woman raised a hand to stop her, and then motioned her to turn. Confounded Junko complied, turning once more, slowly, when asked to.

"Hmmm… at least you're not as busty as Carrera. Although then again, Ren seems to be a lover of all sorts of women. Have you had sex with my grandson?"

Junko flushed bright red. "We have not! We are nowhere near that kind of relationship, as I have mentioned to you before, Ma- Elda."

"Hnnn…" Elda produced the sound, leaving Junko unable to divine whether it was a sound of approval, or rather the opposite emotion. "Well… at least that's somewhat of a plus. I'm not going to tell you not to hurt my grandson, that's what humans always do when they get near vampires."

"I would never-" Junko started to interrupt.

"Intentionally or unintentionally, it's just in your nature." Elda continued. "Just like it is in his nature to hurt you. The only reason I supported his request to let you live here was so he – and Karin – could both draw some very valuable lessons from that experience."

"We may not have started out as the very best of friends, but I do feel that we are getting closer to-"

"To what, Junko-chan? Understanding? Friendship? Love? Even if the two of you were to love each other, I would not support it. From a vampire and a human can only come those things and I decided long ago to kill every last one there is!"

Elda had gotten up when she said that, looking extremely furious at the thought of some offspring between the two species. Junko shrunk away, while Elda ripped open the box that had contained Ren's jacket in her anger.  
"Mama, you're scaring our guest!" Henry said, coming in through the open doorway. Elda immediately returned to her usual sparkle.

"Hello Henry. Let's go downstairs for dinner, shall we? Aren't you coming as well, Junko-chan?"

Before Junko could answer, the woman had already grabbed her by the arm, pulling her along. "As long as you are living here, Junko-chan, I want to make sure everyone gets to see what humans are really like." Elda added in a sugary sweet tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The coat Junko gave to Ren is the same one he is seen wearing in the later part of the manga. That's all from me, have a nice day!


	12. Settling In

|Marker Residence|

Junko smiled at Karin as the girl placed a bowl filled with udon noodles in front of her. The smell was delicious, heat visibly rising from the dish in the chilly room.  
"There's more in the kitchen, if you would like more later," Karin told her, before placing another bowl in front of Anju. The adult vampires in the group were already sipping blood from the crystal glasses Junko had brought with her.

Junko thought the distinction between children and adults had been made very clearly when Elda practically forced her to sit with Anju, across from Karin. Elda herself had taken the other side next to her, her chair so close she could touch Junko with ease. Junko tried to ignore the feeling of Elda's eyes resting on her during the entire meal.

The conversation during dinner seemed rather casual for vampires, with Carrera discussing the latest television show she had watched the day before. Suddenly Henry turned towards her, with a curious look in his eyes.  
"Ren has told us very little about you, Akane-san. Why don't you tell us a little bit more about yourself?"

Junko looked up in surprise at the question, quickly swallowing a mouthful of broth. "About me?"  
She looked at Ren insecurely. He was leaning on the table with one elbow and shrugged when he saw her looking at him.  
"Well, uhm… I'm twenty years old right now, and I work as a photographer for the local newspaper. I like cooking, taking pictures and watching movies. I'm hoping to write a book soon, so that I'll be able to move to another country."

Elda smiled, pulling Junko closer with one arm. Junko froze up when the woman pinched her chin lightly. "That's right, Junko-chan! A young woman should take full advantage of her youth to travel the world. Use those cute looks while you still have them, and dazzle men all around the world."

Junko sweatdropped at the enthusiastic outcries of the eldest vampire. "I suppose… that's one way to look at it?"

"Mama, you're scaring our guest again," Henry said, looking worried at the way his mother was handling the new human resident. Carrera seemed didn't seem to be worried in the slightest at the entire situation, leaning back as she watched the events unfold.

"Now now, Henry, she has to learn how to cope in a vampire household. She won't make it a day if she can't at least handle being around gentle me," Elda answered in a tone that suggested she entirely believed herself to be gentle.  
Junko didn't say out loud that right now she was wholly prepared to name Elda as her most likely cause of death. When Elda pulled her in a hug, she thought the woman was going to choke her.  
"After all, my dear late husband was right. Our children should learn to cope with humans. That's the reason why I let dear Junko-chan in our house. A cute woman like her, who works and lives the human life to the fullest, will be exactly the thing to teach my dear grandchildren how the world works."

"Mama, please let Akana-san go!" Henry cried out, tears nearly streaming down his face.

Elda let go of her with a huff, leaving Junko to gasp for air. She shot a dirty look towards Ren, who looked at her in a way that suggested she really should be able to fend for herself.  
"Perhaps Ren would be interested in learning Elda how to play cards? I've been teaching him, and he was saying how he would like to spend some time with you after all."

Elda at once lit up, practically jumping over the table in order to get to Ren. He tried to break free, but was soon enough captured and dragged out of the room. The tension in the room lowered as soon as Elda was gone, taking her only grandson with her.  
"I must apologize for my mother, Akane-san," Henry remarked, looking at her pleadingly.

'"… it's fine. I'm sure she means well in her own way." Junko managed to reply, returning to her meal.

"Perhaps we should be discussing how you'll start to help out in this family," Carrera remarked. "After all, before you were just keeping our secret, but now you're living here…."

"Of course! I will help in any way that I can!" Junko assured her.

"As if a puny person like her will be any help," Bge yelled from the chair to the side. Junko shot the doll a foul look.

"It would be nice if you could do the groceries while the girls are in school. Nighttime stores don't have the best of selections after all," Henry suggested.

"Not to mention it will be nice for Anju if she has someone around to talk with during the day as well," Carrera added, casting an appreciating towards her youngest.

"That all sounds very reasonable," Junko answered, not sure what they wanted to add to that.

"You can't tell anyone where this house is," Anju suddenly piped up. "Even if friends or family ask you, don't tell them where we live. They won't be able to find it, and it will be suspicious."  
Junko nodded, before looking to Karin to see if she had anything to say. The girl blushed, looking down at her plate. "I'm just happy Akane-san will be living here with us from now on. It should be fun."

Akane smiled at that, happy to hear the words. "I'm sure we will have all sort of fun together, Maaka-chan."

Shortly after that, both Karin and Anju were sent to bed due to the hour. Karin nodded, already looking like she was dozing off. When the girls had left, Junko looked towards the parents.  
"If I'm not being too bold… I already know about Karin being a blood producing vampire, and I was wondering… is there any way I can help with her condition?"

Henry and Carrera shared a look together. "Her blood preference is unhappiness. The best way you will be able to help her out is by not being unhappy," Henry explained.

"But since Ren has been drinking your blood lately, I don't think that should be a problem," Carrera added.

Junko flushed bright red at that, bringing a hand to her neck. She had been wearing a turtleneck sweater just so she could cover up the bite marks, and they already knew?  
"Vampires have a great sense of smell. And you're giving off a big whiff of Ren at the moment," Carrera exclaimed laughingly. "So it's really not that hard to see what you two are up to. But it's good you both are getting along. Less chance you'll end up betraying us."

Junko clenched her hands into fists underneath the tablecloth at that comment. "I would never do anything to betray Ren or his family. People who do things like that are the worst!" she half-shouted, practically livid at the idea someone might think she would actually do something like that.  
Her own mother had begged her father to give up his activities when she was younger. Because her father had refused, her mother and her sister had both died because people wanted revenge against her father. She would never be the kind of person to endanger any person she held close.

After her outburst, she was slightly interrogated about her job and hobbies. They steered clear of her family, so Junko guessed Ren had told them not to ask. She felt a tad guilty about sending Elda his way, but she had been scared the woman would have snapped her neck in that hug. Ren was built a lot sturdier than she after all.

After she left the room with a yawn, she started to walk up the main stairs up to her room. When she reached the first floor, she saw Elda standing near the boarded up window, looking through the tiniest crack possible at the moon.  
She seemed to be sad, but the moment she saw Junko standing there, she perked up immediately.

"I was hoping to catch you before I went back to sleep. I already said goodbye to my granddaughters too."

"Sleep?" Junko asked, not sure what the woman was talking about.

"When you get to be my age, it gets really hard to stay awake for long periods of time after a long nap. That's why I'll be going to sleep in my coffin in the cellar for now." Elda said, sounding extremely cheerful about the whole business as she grabbed Junko by the hand and walked up the stairs with her.

"Oh…" Junko didn't know what she should say about that.

"No need to worry, as long as Carrera doesn't put any heavy object on the lid this time, I won't shrivel up. I want to come back and check on Karin and Ren's progress after all," Elda continued, stopping by Junko's bedroom door for the moment.

"I see… that's nice of you, Elda," Junko replied again, freezing up as Elda grabbed her face. The woman started to pinch her cheeks, peering into her eyes.

"You really are a cute thing though. Too bad you're a human, if Ren had been able to snag such a lovely vampire bride I would have been very happy. When you do end up breaking his heart, be gentle about it, okay?" Elda's eyes glimmered red for a second as she spoke.

"I don't want to hurt Ren, I promise! He's my friend, and –"

" – and deep down I'm sure he likes you, so be a dear and get it over and done with as soon as possible. Even if the two of you would be together, you wouldn't be able to live happily ever after. You would have horrible children, and you will grow old and die. So don't go doing things Ren will have to regret after you've gone," Elda let go of her face, leaving red marks on Junko's cheeks.

Junko started to rub her cheeks, trying to get the feeling back in there. "I'm fairly sure Ren only sees me as a friend, so please stop worrying about us."

Elda smiled, starting to walk down the stairs. "I heard you talking with my son about Karin's condition. When I wake up, I'll start to look into it as well. But until then, you would be doing me a favor if you get started on the whole business. The family books are all stored in the cellar, in the room next to where I'm sleeping. I'll tell my son to let you in there, so do your best for as long as you're in this house."

Junko let out a sigh, stepping in her room. She dropped on the big bed, ignoring the room she had only just started to move into. The entire house seemed to be chilly and damp. Somebody had been kind enough to light some candles, letting them spread a low light in the room.  
"Might as well get dressed for bed first…" she yawned, rummaging through one of the clothing boxes.

She had only just changed into the warmest pajama she owned when there was a knock on her door.  
"Come in!" she yelled, hoping it wasn't Elda who had returned because she had forgotten something. The door swung open, revealing Ren who gave her a sullen look.

"Honestly, did you have to set the old hag loose on me?" was the first thing he said, striding in the room. He stopped right in front of her, peering into her eyes. Junko suppressed a shiver as she thought about how much that piercing look reminded her of his grandmother.

"You were having far too much fun with the way she was harassing me," Junko answered him, trying to walk around him. He straightened, holding out a hand to keep her where she was standing.

"I told you I wouldn't give you a housewarming gift, but I really like the coat, so I got you this." He said, pulling something out of his pockets. She held out her hand, feeling the tiny warm bundle he gave her.

A bat looked up at her, squeaking softly at her but staying put. It crawled to the edge of her hand, grabbing her finger so it could hang upside down.  
Junko lifted her hand towards her face, looking at the little bat that was now hanging upside down. It looked back at her, seemingly content with its current position.

"You're giving me a bat?" she asked, confused.

"I'm giving you one of _my bats_ ," He stressed, as if this was a huge deal. "You'll have to go out in the daytime, so I won't be able to protect you all the time. But if you take this guy with you, he'll erase the memory of the people you tell him to. Just don't do it too often, it wears them out."

"Won't people notice if I suddenly pull a bat out of my purse?" she asked, watching in fascination as the bat started to wash itself. Anju had sent a bat to her apartment before, but she hadn't paid that much attention to it. It was rather cute, now she thought about it.

"Normal people usually don't notice them, unless you force them to look at them. It'll be easier for you to spot him though, especially if you live in this house for a while. Consider him your bodyguard in my stead," He frowned at her. "And you're not supposed to go stuffing bats in your purse. He'll just follow you around. He's got wings, he can fly on his own."

Junko smiled at Ren, a warm, happy smile. "This is very thoughtful, Ren. I'm happy you've warmed up to me so much."

She walked up to the door in order to place the little bat there, but she couldn't reach at all. When Ren's cool hands wrapped around her waist she let out a yelp in surprise.  
"What are you doing?" she managed to ask, trying not to squirm in his grasp.

"I'm helping you. What are you, completely daft?" he retorted. With his help she was able to reach the top, and the bat switched places without as much as a squeak.

"What?" Ren asked, examining her.

Junko placed her hands against her face, trying to hide her blush. "Nothing! You just startled me, that's all."

"I was thinking you'd be quicker on your toes now, since the old hag has been trying to ambush you so often," Ren chuckled, thinking about that.

Junko's mood immediately took a plunge for the worst when he mentioned Elda. She thought about the vampire, and how young she looked. She cast a look towards Ren's face, squinting.  
It was his turn to get embarrassed now, having his face so closely examined. Junko noticed a faint red glow creep across his cheeks, but thought that it might also be caused by the flickering candle light.

"Do I have something on my face?" he asked, trying not to sound panicked at the intense gaze aimed his direction.

"I'm just wondering… how old are you actually, Ren?" Junko asked, slightly worried now that she realized how deceptive a vampire's outward appearance was.

Ren pointed to himself, surprised by the question. "Me? I'm 21 years old now." Suddenly he had a mischievous grin on his face. "Which makes me your senior… you should show more respect to me, Junko. Start calling me 'senpai', or maybe even 'sensei'."

Junko raised her eyebrows at him. "It's that kind of behaviour that made me suspect you were some kind of lecherous old vampire that seduces young women in the first place."

"Are you calling me an old lech?" Ren cried out.

"Only if you start saying creepy stuff like 'call me sensei'. I'll just call you Ren. Or maybe… Ren-chan?"

"Don't," he growled. "I'm the eldest one of the two, so you should show me respect."

Junko grinned. "I have the utmost respect for you, Ren. I haven't told anyone you snore at night, after all."

Ren's eyes grew wide. "I don't snore! That's a lie."

Junko giggled. "Yes you do. Last time you crawled into my bed, you were snoring a tiiiiny bit, way at the start. I didn't want to say anything then, because I thought it was cute."

If Ren had had a pale pink glow on his face, this time he had an absolute darker hue gracing his cheeks. "Well… you're still younger than me. And show a little gratitude for letting you in my home!"

Junko stopped her giggling, giving him a surprised look. "You shouldn't get angry because I think you're cute, Ren. After all, I think you're a great guy, which is why I think you sometimes do cute things. Like getting flustered over being called cute."

Ren propped his fingers in his ears, walking towards the door. "I can't hear you, nananana…"

"Ren, don't be such a baby," Junko said, grabbing him by his shirt to stop him from making a fool of himself. Ren turned around suddenly, bowing down to face her. He seemed to have miscalculated the distance, because he stopped a hair's distance before their lips touched.

The mood turned from playful to dead serious. Junko's looked into Ren's golden liquid eyes, not daring to more or let go of his shirt. Ren watched her back, eyes glancing to her lips before meeting her gaze again.  
Junko could feel his breath stroke across her mouth as he was breathing in and out. Junko inhaled shakily, aware of how awkwardly they were standing now.

"Do you still think I'm being a baby now?" Ren whispered to her. His lips almost brushed hers with every word he said.

"No. Not at all."  
She could feel him smile, eyes slightly closing as he did so. "Good. Sleep tight Junko. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ren pulled back his head and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek, before walking out of the door. It was hours until after he was gone before Junko was able to close her eyes, thinking about what might have happened.


	13. Ferris Wheel

|Two Weeks Later, The City|

Two weeks later Junko had managed to completely settle in the vampire home. Her room had been furnished with some of her own furniture, adding some sparkle and modernity to the previously gloomy setting. Since nothing could be done about the permanent dampness of the house – vampires apparently saw no use in heating an entire house if they felt almost nothing of the cold – she had soon learned that the kitchen and living room were the most comfortable places to spend her free time in.  
She had gone through the trouble of checking out the basement for some old books on vampires like Elda had recommended. Henry had seemed quite troubled at letting her do so, before grumblingly acquiescing to his mother's instructions. Now she spent the time she wasn't working at night with the Maaka family in the living room, either reading in a dusty old tome or playing a game with the girls.

Ren had been present in the background as well, but had for some reason steered clear of her whenever some of his family members would be able to listen in on their conversations. When Carrera had asked her if she knew why Ren was spending so much time at home, Junko had truthfully replied she hadn't the faintest idea. Junko hadn't asked Ren yet what his reasons were, and she didn't think she wanted to find out. She feared that instead of wanting to be near her, his reply would be somewhere along the lines of 'hitting on too many girls at once'.

But right now she couldn't talk about any of those things.  
"Saaay, Junko, are you still working with the newspaper?" Miyako asked her, leaning over the table filled with cocktails to be able to hear her better. Her long, straight black bangs nearly reached her eyes as she did so.

"Of course she is, dummy." Rika answered her. "You can see her name underneath the pictures she's been taking, don't you?" Rika swiped her bright red hair back, stretching out before calling for another margarita.

Miyako pouted at being called a dummy, before looking at Junko again. Junko blushed, happy she had thought about wearing a scarf so people wouldn't be able to see the fading bite marks Ren had left in her neck. Her slightly upturned nose twitched at the strong scent of alcohol coming from her own White Russian drink.

"I still work there, Miyako." She replied, before finishing her drink. When the waiter came around to order the next round of drinks, she wisely opted for some bubbly water instead of a more stronger follow-up.

"But whyyy? I mean, didn't one of the people working there end up like… dead or something?" Miyako continued, still only halfway her second drink. "Surely there are safer places to go and work for."

Rika let out a sigh, as if she had already tried to reason with Miyako on this subject. "Because it's very likely that guy just pissed of the wrong people, it has nothing to do with Junko."

Junko tried to smile inconspicuously at that remark, before being offered a drink by Morii. The man was, just like in their school days, extremely quiet and preferred to listen to the chatter of his former classmates instead of participating in the conversation himself.

When Junko declined, Morii's round eyes settled on her in a clarity that seemed very unlikely for someone that had already downed more than three cocktails. "You seem different than before, Junko."

Junko swallowed. "Why would you say that?" she asked, hoping he hadn't somehow picked up on the bat resting in one of the trees above them. Around them people were happily chatting, relieved at the first warmer night in winter.

"Just a hint… say, you don't have a boyfriend, do you?" Morii asked her, eyes resting on her face to gauge her reaction.

Junko nearly choked on her water as suddenly the two other women turned towards them in surprise.

"Junko has a boyfriend, since when?" Miyako demanded.

"No way, someone finally managed to sweep you of your feet?" Rika asked, stupefied at this notion.

"Hey, I didn't say I have a boyfriend! Morii was just suggesting it, that's all!" Junko exclaimed, throwing her hands in front of her in an attempt to stop the barrage of questions.  
Everybody around the table groaned in disappointment. Junko puffed up her cheeks. "What's with all the indignation? It's not like any of you have a relationship either!"

Rika started to muss up her hair, laughing. "True, but you're such a scatterbrain. We need to know someone is taking care of ya!"

|Ren|

Ren walked towards the bar where Junko was sitting. True, they hadn't made any plans for the evening, but she had run off without telling anyone in the house where she was going. He had decided to skip the fighting with parents part, and go straight to the part where he dragged her back home so he could watch her play cards with Anju.  
There was something relaxing about knowing she was in the same house as him, but that didn't mean he wanted just about everyone to know he felt like that. The few times his father had tried to corner him and talk to him about it, he had conveniently stepped out of the door to get some dinner. He couldn't keep drinking from Junko all the time after all.

"At least the hag went back to sleep." He muttered to himself, hands stuffed in the pockets of the coat Junko had gotten him. As soon as he made it to the bar, a waitress stopped him in his track.

"Do you have a reservation, sir?" she asked him, smiling brightly.

He smirked at her. "I'm meeting up with some friends here. Don't worry your pretty face about it, I'll find them myself."

She stopped him before he could saunter towards Junko was sitting with her friends. "Sir… if you're still around by the time my shift ends…"

"I probably won't be." He replied coolly, before being handed a piece of paper she had just hurriedly scribbled her name and number on. The girl was blushing a deep red, bowing deeply before him.

"If you have the time, please give me a call!" she told him.

He considered her for a moment. She did have a nice stressful atmosphere around her. He gave her a more convincing smile, before putting the piece of paper in his pocket. "I'll think about it."

The girl thanked him again before letting him walk off. He started to walk more slowly when he neared the place Junko was sitting. They were being quite loud, something which he attributed to the cocktail glasses spread around the table. He heard the girl with the dyed hair say Junko needed someone to take care of her, and he found himself agreeing with her. Even if Junko was rather capable for a human, she still had a tendency of getting into trouble.

He saw the only male in the group placing his hand on Junko's arm, whispering something in her ear. He could see Junko flaring up to the same color as the hair of her friend.  
"You're late." He said, stopping right behind her. Junko craned her neck backwards, to see who had said that. Her mouth formed a surprised 'o'.

"Ren? What are you doing here?" she asked him, clearly surprised to see him here.

"This is your day off, right? Why are you hanging around here?" he said, noting the man still had his hand on Junko's arm. "You're supposed to be at home."

She waved her free hand in the air, clearly dismissing the notion. "I'm just out, having some fun with my friends. We haven't seen each other in forever!"

Junko found her statement being ignored however when both her friends started to question Ren.

"You're roommates? When did this happen, Junkooo?" the woman with the long bangs asked her friend, nearly strangling Junko in a hug.

"I never pegged you as the type for that sort of relationship." The more serious woman said, taking Ren in more slowly.

"What relationship?" Junko asked, starting to panic.

Ren looked up to the night sky, trying to seem as aloof as possible. "Well, I suppose you could call living together being roommates in some ways." He said aloud to the sky, trying to make it sound like a normal comment. He seemed to have hit a bull's eye there, because the friend hugging Junko started to squeal in excitement.

"And here you were telling us you didn't have a boooyfriend. Junko, you liaaar!" she yelled out, not sounding angry at all.

The man raised his eyebrows at Ren, almost looking disappointed before he raised his hands in the air with a sigh. "Guess I can never catch a break."

The woman with the long bangs grabbed Ren by the arm, forcing him to sit next to Junko. "Junko is soooo mean, she won't tell us anythiiing. Tell us all about you met her!"

Ren cast a sideways glance to Junko, who was still recovering from the assault to her windpipe. He looked to the sky again, trying to figure out the most scandalous way to phrase the situation.  
"Oh, we took an interest in each other at first sight. At first it was only a lot of heat, but now we are becoming more inseparable by the day."

Junko's brown eyes grew bigger when she heard that, scowling when she could hear him snigger softly at her reaction. Before she could correct him, the redheaded friend insisted on introducing them all. Ren nodded and even managed to smile politely, before reaching for Junko's jacket.  
"We should get going. After all, tomorrow is another working day for Junko." He announced.

He was immediately stopped by outcries from her friends.  
"You can't go! There's a really great fair by the river, and this will be our last chance to go together before it leaves!" Miyako cried out.

Rika nodded seriously. "Junko promised us we would all go together, to make up for lost time."

"So we won't take no for an answer." Morii added to that. Ren frowned at the man, not pleased at the presence of possible competition. For a moment he wondered why he would fear for competition when the man started to help Junko in her jacket.

He grabbed her hand, starting to walk outside the patio. "Fine, we'll go!"

|At the Fair|

"You really think this is a good idea? There's a reason you should stay inside as much as possible. Unless you want to go back to your father." Ren whispered from the corner of his mouth. Junko's friends were playing a game where they had to shoot for plush animals, none of them being very successful.

Junko's mood dampened a little bit, before she started smiling again. "It'll be okay. I hardly ever see my friends, so this is a nice change of pace."

Ren let out a sigh. He didn't know how many people worked for her father, but she seemed confident nobody would be able to find her. If she had just stayed at the house he wouldn't have to worry about her suddenly getting kidnapped or something. He flinched when Rika handed him the gun.  
"Here you go, big boy. Why don't you try winning a prize for Junko?" she practically ordered him.

Ren obliged, not happy at being bossed around like this. He leant forward, took an aim… and missed gloriously. Even the stall keeper had to laugh heartily as he saw just how badly Ren had missed. He let out a grown, pushing the toy gun in Morii's hands.  
"Whatever." He muttered, pushing his hair back in annoyance. The two girls giggled at his attitude, with Junko just rolling her eyes at him. At least Morii hadn't had any better luck.

In succession he was forced to go along on a roller coaster and a gold fishing game. Junko was the only one who succeeded at catching a fish, but gave it to Miyako, claiming it would be better for the fish. When Ren asked her why she thought that, Junko pointed to the sky.

"I'm already taking care of the bat you gave me. I think me and little Genji will do just fine with the two of us."

"You named the bat?" he asked her, looking at the sky for a moment as well.

"Well.. yeah. I can't just call him bat all of the time, can I?"

Ren couldn't make a snippy remark back at her, being stopped by Rika who pointed excitedly towards a haunted house. "These are so cool! Oh Junko, they're not that scary at all!"

Junko shook her head vigorously, not feeling in the least inclined to enter the dark, gloomy building. The attendant pressed a button, and screams came from inside the house. She instinctively hid behind Ren.  
"I don't want to go in there! I hate haunted mansions." She said, peeking from behind Ren's back to her friends.

Ren couldn't resist a snigger when he saw the threesome was already buying tickets for the lot of them. When Morii handed Ren his ticket, Ren took Junko's ticket in his hand as well. He placed a hand on her head as he smiled down on her.  
"What's so scary about a house like that, if I'm with you?" he asked her, his fangs slightly protruding from his mouth.

Junko looked towards the building. Her friends were already inside, shouting for the two of them to follow. When she looked back at Ren, she seemed slightly more convinced. "I guess… when you're with me, nothing bad should happen."

She held out her hand towards him. He grabbed it with a smile, pulling her closer towards him for a second. "Don't worry, Junko. I won't let any monster get you."

Around ten minutes later Ren realized that the main fright in this haunted mansion was just the dark. Every once in a while they'd pass an illuminated space where something scary was supposed to be, but so far Junko had been remarkable well-behaved, only gripping his hand in hers, the other hand holding the back of his black coat.  
Ren navigated easily in the dark, and before long they had not only caught up with Junko's friends, but left them well behind them. He didn't feel like bothering with also guiding her friends through here, only allowing Junko to stay near him.  
He stopped for a moment to consider the next illuminated space in front of them, making Junko bump into him.  
"Ouch." She said, more out of surprise than real pain.

"You okay?" Ren asked, turning around to look at her. When he let go of her hand, she in return grabbed his coat even tighter.

"I think. It's just that I can't see a thing in here." She flinched when somewhere behind them they could hear Miyako screaming.

Ren didn't experience any hinder in this lighting, looking down at Junko's face without her knowing he was doing it. She was looking in the direction of his face, mouth slightly parted. He watched as she wet her lips and had to swallow in response.

"Junko…" he started, not knowing what he wanted to tell her. He leaned slightly forward, thinking that perhaps if he kissed her she would stop being on his mind so much. She must have felt him move towards her, but she didn't seem nervous. In the dark she moved closer to him, almost pressing her lips against him on her own accord. Her hands had followed his movement, now holding on to the front of his vest.  
"Ren?"

A metal contraption slid out of the wall next to them. As Junko started screaming, Ren automatically punched into the doll. As the corridor they were in was illuminated by the sparks coming from the now destroyed machine, Ren realized he had just beaten up a mechanical Count Dracula. The irony was lost on Junko who had thrown her arms around him in fear.  
He started to pat her head with one hand, encircling her waist with the other arm. The girl was shaking from fear.  
"There there, it's okay. It wasn't anything dangerous."

Before she had calmed down, one of the maintenance doors of the mansion was opened, letting light stream in the corridor. "You two! Why did you have to wreck that machine, huh?!"

|Half an hour later|

When Junko's friends finally came out of the house, Ren and Junko had already paid the damage. Well, Junko had, since Ren never carried any money around. He could hear her grumbling something about having to do that.  
"I wouldn't have punched the machine if you hadn't been so scared." He complained out loud, following behind Rika and Miyako, who were leading the group towards the Ferris wheel.

"I was scared, that's all. I don't like the dark." She replied, ashamed at how she had reacted.

"Idiot." He told her, giving her a soft nudge against the side of her head. She pouted back at him, before relaxing into a smile and surprising him by hooking her arm in his.

"I know. Thanks for protecting me." she told him with a grin.

Ren looked away, clearly annoyed at the statement. "Don't make any more out of it than it is, okay?"

Suddenly Morii pulled Junko away from him, 'just for a second' as the man said it. Ren had to bite back a growl at this action, leaning on the board next to the Ferris wheel. The two female friends of Junko were chatting happily, pleased at the amount of fun they had had.  
Ren kept an eye on Junko, not happy at how easily she let the other guy touch her. When the man whispered something in her ear, he wanted to punch the smirk from his face.  
He had to tear his gaze away from those two when Rika punched him on the arm.

"What?" he snarled, not happy with the interruption. Rika shoved him two tickets in his hands.

"For the wheel." She explained. "We can't fit with five in a gondola, and I think you would be happier if you could team up with Junko."

"Oh…" he said, looking at the two tickets in his hands.

"You're welcome!" she said in a sing song voice.

"For what?" he mumbled. He had been too loud, because Rika and Miyako had obviously heard him. Miyako started to giggle at his question.

"Don't you know, silly booooy? If a couple does something lovey-dovey at the top, they'll be together forever!" Miyako exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.

Ren looked back to Junko, and then to the tickets. For a moment he considered asking her if she wouldn't want to ride it with Morii instead of him, but he decided against it.  
"Junko! If you want to ride the wheel, you should come here now!" he called out in a gruff voice. He wondered if perhaps she did want to ride the wheel with Morii. It was possible after all. Right?

"Coming!" she called out to him, running to where he was standing. "We're going together, right, Ren?"

"If that's okay with you." he replied dryly.

Once seated, the gondolas slowly started to move upward. Ren looked at Junko, who was seated on the opposite side of him, looking down to the gondola her friends were riding. She waved excitedly at them, clearly much happier with this ride than she had been in the haunted mansion.  
"Sure you didn't want to ride with Morii?" he asked her, leaning his elbow against the window. She looked at him in surprise, before smiling.

"Morii? Why would I want to ride with Morii?" she asked him, clearly confused.

"You two do seem awfully close. If you're not careful, he might try something funny soon."

She mouthed his last sentence, clearly not understanding where he was going. He could pinpoint the moment she caught his drift, pointing her finger in the sky.  
"Oh, you think Morii likes me." she started to laugh, trying to muffle herself with her hands. They stopped about halfway to let new passengers in, slightly rocking the small sphere they were in. "Ehehehehe…" she continued.

Ren glared at her. "What's so funny, huh?"

"That you think Morii might like me." she replied wiping the tears from her eyes with a grin. "Morii likes boys, you know? He actually asked me just now if he might have a shot with you."

Ren blinked at her a few times, before he caught on to the meaning of her words. "You're saying he? So basically? … he thinks I'm gay?" he finally asked her, almost standing up in the small sphere.

Junko started to laugh even harder now, not even trying to disguise her glee at the situation. When she noticed how distressed he was, she switched sides so she could sit next to him. She curled her legs up on the bench to give his legs some more room.  
Ren looked out of the window, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He froze when he found the note the waitress had given him earlier that evening. Junko put her arm through his, leaning against him as she commented she was cold. Her head leaned against his shoulder, and he made a decision.

He pulled the scrap out of his pockets, and quickly tossed the small piece of paper out. Junko lifted her head in surprise. "What was that?" she asked him.

Ren shrugged, placing his arm around her so he could keep her warm. With his free hand he took one of hers, leaning back in the gondola as they reached the top. He slightly nudged his head against the top of hers, before relaxing.

He supposed they could always come back again to ride this thing again, if it was necessary.


	14. Valentine's Day

|Valentine's Day|

"Junko-san… what are you reading?" Karin asked her, as the girl was busy preparing some bento to take on her big date with Kenta. Junko looked up, pushing her reading glasses a bit higher on her nose.

"An old vampire book I found in the basement. Your grandmother said she didn't mind me reading through them, and this way I can do something useful for the time I'm here," Junko answered, showing the dusty tome to the two sisters in the kitchen. Anju glanced over the book, before turning back to the magazine she was leafing through. A few minutes earlier she and Karin had been fussing over it, Karin being slightly more expressive about her opinions than Anju had been.

"What is it about?" Anju finally asked, turning another page. She showed the new page to her sister, who seemed to be very excited about what was in there.

"Vampire marriage rituals. But I don't know how much of this stuff is up to date… it looks really old," Junko said, squinting in order to see some of the smaller print. She was distracted by the sound of plates being dropped.

"Karin?" she asked. Before she knew what was happening, Karin was practically up in her face, eyes sparkling.

"Does this mean you and big brother are getting serious?" she asked, hands clasped together.

Junko looked around in a panic, turning to Anju for support.

"Long live the happy couple," Anju commented dryly. 

"Glad he found someone who can tolerate him!" Bge-kun added to that statement.

Junko managed to brush Karin off, burying her nose in her book so she could hide her embarrassment. "Me and Ren aren't a couple… and he's certainly not the marrying type," She added, not sounding entirely convinced. She tended to get a bit dreamy when she remembered the outing where they had ridden the Ferris wheel. The human let out a cry when she saw something in the book. She immediately turned to Anju.

"Is this still something vampires do?" she asked, sounding excited and terrified at the same time. Anju looked down at the book where Junko was pointing.

"Exchange bats as an engagement vow?" she asked.

Junko nodded. Before Anju could answer her, Henry's head poked around the door.

"Junko-san, could I have a word with you?" he asked her.

She nodded, standing up as she took the tome with her. "What is it, mister Marker?" she asked in turn.

"I was wondering if you would be prepared to go into town and get some things for me? I want to surprise Carrera for Valentine's, but most of the night shops don't have a very good selection. I made you a small list." He held out the list towards her.

Junko scanned it over, not noting anything extremely out of the ordinary. "Would you like me to pick up some blood as well, while I'm out?"

Henry shook his head with a smile. "No, no, I'll collect that myself as the sun is low enough. We appreciate the blood packets, but fresh blood is much more romantic," He flinched when he realized he was talking to a human. "Sorry."

Junko smiled, bringing a hand to the side of her neck. It had been a while since Ren had last bitten her, but the marks were still faintly visible. "Oh, that's alright. I've become quite okay with the idea."

"Thank you, Junko-san. You're a good girl," Henry told her.

"Uhm… mister Marker? Can I ask you something?

Henry nodded, and she told him about the bat exchange ceremony. "Do vampires still do that? Did you and madam Marker do that?"

Henry smiled brightly. "Yes, we did! It's a very important step in vampire matchmaking, you know? The couple exchanges bats, symbolizing how they will look out and protect their mate. It's not something we take lightly."

Junko looked to the ground, biting the inside of her cheek. She had been happy with the bat Ren had given her, but she hadn't thought it was so important. Maybe she should do something in return?  
Henry surprised her by laying a hand on her shoulder, his smile turning a bit more strained.  
"Junko-san, do me a favour. As soon as Karin is done with her… business, could you pick her up on your way back home? You have her phone number, don't you?"

Junko nodded, and Henry shocked her again by patting her on the head suddenly. "Thank you for being a friend to my children," he told her. Junko didn't have the time to react before the vampire yawned, commenting he should catch some sleep before it was night again.

When Junko re-entered the kitchen, Karin was putting the last touches on her bento box. The not so normal vampire gave Junko an inquiring look. "Is something wrong, Junko-san?"

Junko rubbed the back of her head, not looking at the door behind her. "I just have the feeling something strange is going to happen today. Ah, Karin, your father asked me to pick you up after your date. Is that okay with you?"

Karin started to pout, pushing her fingers together. "Daddy is going to meddle again, isn't he?"

Junko waved her hand concomitantly in the air. "I think he's trying not to meddle by sending me… if that makes sense."

Karin started to pack away the lunchboxes, quickly finishing up so she could go and change.

Junko looked at the lunch boxes with a sad look.

"Right now… you were thinking 'it would be nice to date a guy who eats lunch boxes', weren't you?" Anju asked her.

Junko startled, denying everything immediately. "No, no, of course not." She looked back to the boxes again.

"You're right… you were thinking 'it would be nice if big brother would eat lunch boxes," Anju said again.

Junko flushed red, before grabbing the magazine laying on the table, pretending to peruse it seriously. '"I don't know what you are talking about, Maaka-san. Hahahaha… Me and Ren just have this really weird relationship where I yell 'bite me' when he pisses me off, and he'll actually do it. We're just a weird sort of friends."

"Basically you found yourself a guy who will eat you instead of a lunch!" Bge called out from his seat. Junko shot the doll a dirty glare.

"Listen, doll, you listen ta me. Dress up in one of those cute night dresses you have, and go to Ren like 'Ren-sama, please eat me to your heart's content, and then he'll-"

Junko grabbed the doll, shutting its mouth with her hand. "If you think I'm going to take advice on my love life from a doll, you have another thing coming, Bge. Stop that dirty mouth or I'll wash it out with soap."

When she released her hand from the doll's mouth, he started up again. "And then he'll bring his mouth lower and lick your-"

Junko closed the doll's mouth again, vivid with anger and embarrassment.

"Bge-kun." Anju's stern voice sounded from where the girl had remained seated. The doll went slack in Junko's arms, and she returned him to his master. She kept eying him, not certain if he would start up again.

"If you would like to make big brother yours, I won't stop you," Anju announced to her. "But maybe you should consider making the first step. As far as men go, he's dense."

"Such a harsh judgment for your brother," Junko said smiling.

"He's a womanizer who doesn't know the first thing about taking care of a girlfriend, with a foul mouth and a huge temper," Anju continued, surprising Junko with her frankness. "But because you really are the kind of demon woman he compares you to, you might be able to tame him."

With those words, Anju started to walk outside the room, leaving the older woman stupefied. 'Was that… a compliment?' Junko wondered to herself. The Lolita girl stopped just in front of the door, looking quite gentle.  
"I'm looking forward to calling you 'big sister' as well."

|Early Evening|

"Why doesn't that woman ever stay put?" Ren yelled, stomping into the kitchen as he looked around for Junko. "If she gets kidnapped, she won't have to come crying to me!" he threatened, opening up a cupboard.

"Akane-san won't fit in there." Anju said, looking up from the magazine she had left there unfinished earlier. "Rather, Father realized he had forgotten to ask her to get some things, which is why she's out again now."

Ren let out a sigh, running a glass of water from the tap. "I see. What are you reading? It's not your custom to through books like that."

Anju held up the article she was looking at. "Top twenty love movies. Junko was looking in this book as well. It seems they were playing these movies at the theater today, but of course Junko couldn't go. Maybe she would like to see them?"

"Nonsense," Ren said, using the bat he had given Junko to see where she was at. He found her quickly enough at a grocery store, where she was doing some last minute shopping with Karin.

The silence after that continued for a while, Anju keeping the magazine in such a way Ren couldn't help but seeing those movies. Finally he got up with a sigh. "Give me that," He commanded.

He ripped out the page with the movies listed on it, handing the rest back to Anju.

"Are you going to get those movies?" she asked as he walked away.

"None of your business!" he yelled back, already halfway outside.

|Midnight|

Junko let out a sigh, looking at the clock. Ren still hadn't come home yet, and she had managed to find a gift for him. She was sure he would like it, but of course it didn't have any use when he wasn't here for her to actually hand it over. She ran a hand through her long, ink-black hair before taking another sip of tea. Bge was sitting next to her, being left there while Anju was listening to Karin telling about her date upstairs.  
"You're worrying too much about him," Bge told her.

"How would you know?" she asked him, adding another spoon of honey to her tea.

"Every time a girl thinks about a guy she likes, she gets all sighing and stares of in the distance, like that cow of a sister Anju-"

Junko pushed her hot spoon in the doll's face. "I won't have you talking about Karin like that." She warned the doll. After she removed the spoon, she kept up a glare at the doll.

"Whatever, you're still the same. If you two will just admit you're a pair of cats in heat, life in this house would be- what are you doing?"

Five minutes later Junko was sitting there, finishing the rest of her tea. Bge was tied up with the scarf Ren had once taken from her, looking at her with reproachful eyes. She stuck out her tongue at the doll when she saw him looking at her, before looking around the kitchen with another sigh.  
Even if she didn't want to admit it, she was worrying about Ren. He had been well-behaved lately, if you compared him to how he usually acted. But maybe Valentine's day was his cue to start womanizing again.

Junko slumped her head on the kitchen table. She didn't think she'd survive in this vampire house with only his parents and siblings for company. If left alone with Bge, she might be tempted to do irrevocable damage. If she was really, truly honest with herself, she had been hoping to maybe have a somewhat romantic evening with him. If he really liked her present, he might even give her a kiss and mean it this time, now that he didn't have to impress her boss.

Ten minutes of moping and a lot of muttering of an angry Bge later, she finally straightened up again.  
"I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. And I sure as hell don't need a womanizing vampire for a boyfriend either!"

Looking around the kitchen, she first found that she could do the small remainder of the dishes. After that, she cleaned the surface of the table and counters. As she wandered outside in the hallway, she noticed the spider webs on top of the door. The rooms Karin frequented were clean enough, but Junko guess the girl probably didn't have the time to clean every inch of the house. Maybe she should pitch in a little.

Not too long later she was standing on a flimsy ladder near next to the door, cleaning up the hanging spider webs. After this, she could go and arrange all the books in the basement, so she would be able to find certain subjects easier later?  
Her ruminations were disturbed when the front door was opened. The ladder she was standing on was wobbling, and before she knew it, her balance failed her.

Instead of falling on the hard ground, her fall was cushioned by a firm body. Dazed she opened her eyes, looking straight into Ren's golden eyes.  
"Why am I not surprised it's you?" he asked her, shifting one of his legs in an attempt to lessen the shock of being fallen upon.

"Ren? What are you doing home?" Junko asked in surprise. She had thought he would be gone for at least the rest of the evening, since she hadn't seen him all day.

"What do you mean, what am I doing home?" he asked incredulously. He showed the bag he had at his side, shaking it. "I went out to get these for you, since you're such a sappy love-sick fool that loves this sort of thing."

"Who… told you I was…" Junko managed to bring out, dazed.

Ren peeled what seemed to be a folded up magazine page from his front pocket. "Anju told me you really wanted to see these, so I went out to find them for you. Seeing as how you should spend most of your time in hiding!" he added the last part sourly, fully aware she still went out whenever she pleased.

Junko let out a sigh of relief at not being ratted out by Anju. Then realization struck her.  
"I never said anything about wanting to see movies. But Anju did show me this great camera advertisement on the other side of the page." She said, turning the page around to show Ren.

He looked like he couldn't believe his ears. "Are you saying I was running around half the town to find these movies, and you don't even want to see them?"

Junko frowned. "I'm not the one that asked you to go pick up that kind of movies! But…"

"But?" Ren asked, urging her to continue. He shifted his weight on the floor, still not getting up. Junko was sitting in his lap, pinching her fingers together.

"… since you did get those movies… maybe we could watch one together?"

Before Ren could reply, then were interrupted by Anju's angelic voice. "Big brother, you found the movies," The young girl bent over, picking up the bag. "Big sister really wanted to see these, so thank you for picking them up."

Ren let out a growl at hearing he had just been played for an errand boy. Anju ignored the growl.

"By the way… Akane-san has a nice gift for you. Father told me it was a pretty big deal once, so be sure to accept it gracefully. Since we're watching on her television, you can watch the movies with me and big sister afterwards."

"Maybe we should get up?" Junko asked him, already scrambling up from the floor. Once she was up she started to pat down her clothes in case there was any dust still on her. Ren followed en suite, though less quickly than her.

"You got me a present? Hey, it isn't homemade chocolate, is it? Because I won't be able to eat it," He said with a smirk.

Junko clenched her fists at her side, looking down at the ground. "Of course it isn't. I know better than that by now. And…"

She looked back up to Ren. He was looking at her eyes, an expectant look on his face. She didn't really know if she wanted to give him his present after all.  
"I'm waiting," He said.

Junko stomped back to the kitchen, determined not to be stopped by her fear of almost certain rejection. He had been the one to give her a bat first, though he probably hadn't thought she'd ever find out about such an ancient vampire custom. When she returned, she handed him a tiny package, avoiding his golden gaze at any cost. Her heart was pounding like crazy, and she could feel blood rushing to her cheeks, surging in her ears. She felt like she had forgotten to breathe.  
"Please accept this," She managed to squeak out.

Ren accepted the tiny package, opening it up without much decorum. He looked it over a few times, not seeming to get the point.  
"You got me a bat key chain?" he asked her, hoping for some clarification.

"Well… I can't actually exchange bats with you, and your dad did say I had to give you an answer pretty soon."

Ren blinked in surprise. "Wha- but exchanging bats is for old people! There's no way a person like me would do something so uncool!" he exclaimed, genuinely looking panicked. "I'm not ready to get married yet!"

"Like I want to get married already!" Junko blurted out, tears almost springing to her face. She turned around, wrapping her arms around her. "I know giving it to you was stupid, but I thought that maybe… just maybe, you liked me. And… that maybe I could… but if you're going to reject me, I'll just leave!"

Before she left, Ren placed his arms on the counter, keeping her from fleeing away. His head lowered until his cheek rested against hers. She could feel him against her back, just close enough to make her away of him being there.  
"Who said anything about rejection? You startled me, that's all," He let out a sigh, his breath tickling her cheek. "Though I have to say, I didn't think you'd be so idiotic to want to date me of all people. You know my reputation…"

"Painfully aware… But… we could give it a shot?" Junko asked, her voice quivering. She had hoped once, before New Year's that perhaps she and Ren would grow closer. She had given up hope, but lately Ren had once again led her to wish that perhaps he would like her.

Ren turned her around, looking her in the eyes once more. Junko thought she wouldn't be able to breathe. The silence between them grew deeper, and Ren just kept staring as if he was having trouble making a decision for himself. Junko stared back, unsure just what was supposed to happen right now.

"Well… at least you're way sweeter than home-made chocolate." He told her, bending his head towards her. When their lips touched, Junko could swear that somewhere fireworks were being lit.


	15. Movies and Blood

|Kitchen|

When Ren let go off her, Junko stared up at him in amazement. "You like me?" she asked, just to be sure.

"Yes."

"You're sure of that? This isn't some kind of weird vampire thing again, is it?" she asked, not sure if she could really be this lucky. Ren grabbed her chin, raising her mouth towards him again.

"Stupid woman. Do you really think I would be acting like this if I didn't want you?" he told her. His hands were strong and firm. There was no hesitating in his body language, only determination at this point. "I want you bad enough to walk outside in the middle of the day. I want you bad enough to walk around on a fare surrounded by humans. I want to be with you, so you better tell me that you want to be with me as well."

Junko frowned. "Perhaps you could be a bit more gentle about this?" she asked him. He shook his head, keeping her head so that she had to face him.

"I want you to tell me you like me as well," He told her.

Junko tried to look down. "That kind of thing is embarrassing," She mumbled.

"I'm not letting you go until you say it back to me," he told her.

"Such embarrassing things…" she mumbled, long black hair falling in her face. Ren wiped it away with his free hand. "I like you," she whispered.

"I didn't quite catch that," He said, leaning forward more. "Repeat it for me."

"I like you!" she told him.

Ren smiled, nudging his forehead against hers. "For a moment there, I didn't think you would say it."

Junko smiled, pressing a light kiss on his lips. Ren responded in kind, and for a moment afterwards they were just standing in the kitchen holding hands with a goofy smile on their faces.  
"We should get to my room," She told him.

Ren raised his eyebrows expectantly at that remark. "Should we now?"

"Of course. Your sisters wanted to watch their movies in my room, right? We shouldn't keep them waiting for too long," Junko said, pulling him along by the hand.

Ren groaned. "That is not what I was expecting," He said truthfully.

Junko stuck her tongue out at him. "Isn't that what you were thinking the first time we met?" she asked him playfully.

Ren pressed his tongue on the inside of his cheek. "I believe the first time we met you threw hot chocolate in my face, before running of."

"Ah…" Junko blushed. "Did I ever say sorry for that one?"

Ren followed her up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. "Not really. Though I can think of some ways for you to make it up to me," he grinned.

"Pervert," She said, not sounding mad in the least. She bent over on the stairs, towards the lower standing Ren so she could press another kiss on his lips. He paused, seemingly very happy to oblige her.

"I'll take that as an apology then," he told her.

"Good, because that's how it was meant," She replied, before walking inside her room. Karin and Anju were sitting on the bed in their pajamas, with Karin picking the first movie they would be watching. As far as Junko could tell, they were all sappy love movies.

"You really thought I wanted to watch these?" she asked Ren. Though she wasn't against romance in general, she preferred romantic comedies over the actual pure stuff.

The tall vampire shrugged at her question. "Women are weird. And I wanted to do you a favour."

Junko smiled. Anju let her eyes glide between them, before showing a slight smile. "I'm glad to see that my brother accepted gracefully," She announced. Karin looked up in surprise, confused by the seemingly random remark.

"What did big brother accept, Anju?"

Anju smiled, before taking the movie that had been elected as favorite out of her big sister's hands. "Something very important that Junko-san had to offer." She told Karin cryptically.

Bge yelled out from the big chair near the vanity. "What Anju's really tryin' ta say is that Junko and Ren are going to be doing the –"

Bge was shut up by Ren, who had managed to aim a pillow at the possessed doll. "Next time it'll be you I'm throwing, Bge," He told the doll.

Anju cast Ren a cool look at that remark, before popping in the DVD. If it hadn't been for the size of the bed, the four of them would never have fit. But now, Karin, Anju, Ren and Junko were properly squeezed in together. Ren was sporting a rather sour look at the development.

"This is not how I imagined spending the rest of my evening," He whispered to Junko, fully aware that Anju could hear them and not caring one bit.

"Well, we can't chase them out now," Junko chided him gently. "Try to enjoy the movie."

Ren took her hand under the covers, looking sideways at her for a moment. The butterflies in Junko's stomach felt like they were multiplying. At the same time he raised an eyebrow, clearly insinuating that he would be finding no particular enjoyment in this activity.  
She gave his hand a squeeze, before returning her attention to the screen. At least, that was what she tried. The fact remained that Ren, who had told her he actually liked her, was sitting next to her. Holding her hand. He had kissed her. She curled her toes when she realized that from now on, they would kiss more often. Stern-faced Ren, who she had fought with so often in the past few months.

She leaned closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. If he was surprised, he didn't show it. As the movie continued, she felt her eyelids drooping closed. Having Ren next to her was comforting, and being able to rest her head for a while against him felt like an unexpected piece of heaven. The late hour started to catch up to her, and despite the adrenaline boost she had received this evening, slowly she started to sink into an easy sleep.

Ren glanced to the side when he felt Junko's head resting on his shoulder heavier all of a sudden. With closed eyes and a slightly opened mouth she was the epitome of innocent sleep. The hand he had been holding was the only part of her slightly more tense, keeping a hold on his.

He directed his gaze back to the screen where the hero just managed to save his enormous blunder by doing something incredibly stupid that was at the same time romantic. Narrowing his eyes in contempt at the sappy movie he suppressed a sneer. Looking at his other side he could see how Karin was totally into the movie, pressing the covers to her mouth as she blushed.

Anju seemed to be less impressed, though occasionally throwing a glance to where Bge was sitting, the earlier thrown pillow on the ground near him. When her eyes met those of her big brother for a second, she cast him a quick smile.

"I don't suppose you'll be apologizing for making me run that errand?" he mumbled from the corner of his mouth. He shifted his position, Junko's head drooping on his chest. Stray, inky black hairs tickled his throat as he noticed she hadn't had the change to change into something more comfortable before falling asleep.

Anju gave him one of her more cryptic smiles, clearly giving off the vibe that she wouldn't. "Why, big brother? According to what I'm seeing, everything worked out quite well for you because of it."

Ren avoided looking down at Junko, instead checking if Karin could hear them talking. "Why, we're not doing anything out of the ordinary."

Anju smiled again, making Ren remember that she, unlike her idiot sister, did possess vampire senses.

"You're holding hands under the covers. I would almost feel bad for ruining your opportunity to-"

Ren raised his eyebrows at her.

Anju let out a small cough. "I like her. She's a good woman. A strong-willed man like big brother needs a woman who's even more stubborn. She will have you whipped into a good shape before long," Ren let out a sigh at that remark. "And she's nice to sister. Akane-san is working very hard to learn more about us, so it will only be natural she would learn more about her as well,"  
Anju's eyes gleamed for a moment when Karin started to put in the next movie, not aware of the fact she was the only one actually watching them. "By coincidence, you found a very valuable ally. That's why Akane-san will be able to count on my protection in the future as well."

"Protection against what?" Ren asked, placing his free hand on top of his other hand, cradling Junko's hand gently.

"When grandmother finds out. She was vehemently against it,"Anju replied dryly. She nodded friendly to Karin to indicate that she was agreeing with her sister's choice of film. When Karin settled down again, Anju continued. "You shouldn't worry too much, for now. Who knows when she will wake up again?"

Ren nodded once, before Karin finally caught on her siblings were not paying any attention to the movies at all. With a smile she crept up closer to them, careful not to wake the obviously sleeping Junko.  
"What are you talking about?" she asked in a whisper. Her hair was already sticking up all sides, and she hadn't even been to bed yet.

"How big brother is finally starting to behave," Anju commented.

Karin smiled at that remark. "Ah, that's because of Junko-san, isn't it?"

Her siblings looked surprised at her. Karin propped up on one hand, leaning over Anju's legs as she looked up at Ren with a big smile. "Love is really wonderful, isn't it?"

|The Next Day|

When Junko woke up she discovered she wasn't alone. Anju was lying close by her, eyes closed as she breathed evenly. For a moment she wondered what it was that had woken her, but soon she found out that it had been some noises coming from downstairs. Signs in her room showed that even Karin had slept in her room that night, since she had left her bunny slippers sprawled around.

Junko slipped out of bed, taking care not to wake up Anju. On the clock she could see it was already past noon. Ren was probably sleeping somewhere in the house, though she didn't know where. He refused to show her his coffin for some reason.

"Better go check downstairs," Bge said softly. Junko waited for a remark to follow, but when she heard nothing she walked out of the room. She softly ran down the stairs, wondering what it was she had heard.

"Karin?" she asked, seeing the girl hugging her knees on the ground. Crying sounds were coming from her, and at once Junko ran up to her. The sound that had probably been the heavy door being slammed shut.  
"Karin, what happened?" she asked. Junko knelt down, wiping Karin's bangs away from her face. The girl's face was cherry red, and her skin felt hot to the touch.

"Th-there was a man… and he was so unhappy…" she cried, pressing her hands to her nose. "It made my blood rise, and I ran back here… it hurts so much!"

"It's alright," Junko said, obviously panicking. She didn't know what to do, Ren had never told her what she had to do. An idea dawned on her. "Karin, you have to bite me! If you bite me, you won't have so much blood in your body anymore."

Karin started to shake her head violently. A few drops of blood had already spilled from her nose. "Don't want to!"

Junko tried to decide what to do. Before she had made a decision, nature decided to make the decision for her. Blood spurted from Karin's nose, from between her hands. Hot, sticky liquid sprayed all over Junko, forcing her to close her eyes. She brought her hands up to cover her face, but it was too late. She could taste the metallic taste of blood – Karin's blood – on her tongue.

When the shower of blood finally stopped, Junko managed to open her eyes again. It seemed like she had caught most of the liquid, though the expensive looking carpet had sadly also gotten it's fair deal of damage.

Karin was lying on the floor, eyes closed and body completely limp. The white sundress she had worn for one of the first warm Sundays of the year was completely red, save for a few undamaged spots. Junko crawled over to the younger woman, checking her pulse. Though her heartbeat seemed to be faint and irregular, there was still a heartbeat. Junko gave her a few quick taps on the cheek.  
"Karin? Please answer me?" she pleaded.

"Akane-san, what's going on?" Anju's small voice came from upstairs. Junko felt her own heart skip a beat.

"Anju, stay upstairs!" she yelled, her voice shrill. The last thing she needed was Anju seeing her beloved sister like this.

"What's happening?" Anju repeated, walking down the stairs. Her long silver hair flowed in elegant waves down her back, Bge per his usual fashion in her arms. When she saw Karin lying on the ground, her eyes grew bigger.  
"What happened to sister?!" she yelled, running down the stairs. Bge found himself dropping down the stairs, forgotten by his owner. As she dropped to her knees, her white night gown was soaked in blood at the knees.

Tears sprang to her golden eyes as she touched her sister's hair. "Big sister! Wake up!"  
Junko felt utterly helpless at this development. Anju stood up, glaring at the door. "Who?" she demanded.

"What?'"Junko asked, startled. She tried to lift Karin in her arms, to place her on the couch where she might be more comfortable.

"Who is the one who did this to my sister?" Anju demanded, watching coldly as Junko finally managed to lift the girl, who was heavier than she looked.

"I… I don't know Anju. Your sister was already in the house when I got down, and she didn't tell me either." Junko groaned, carrying Karin towards the living room.

Anju remained quiet for a few moments, before making a decision. "I'm going to get Father." She announced.

|A Few Hours Later|

Carrera had been the one to make sure Karin was all cleaned up, before her father had carried her to her room. It seemed like it was time for a family meeting, and just when Junko was about to sneak out of the room, Henry stopped her.

"I think you should remain here as well, girl," He told her, halting her in her tracks. Junko looked around the room to see what the others thought. Anju looked grim, while Carrera seemed to be mostly ticked off. Ren seemed to be the most surprised, giving his father a suspicious look.

Junko sat down at the long table, next to Ren and opposite of Anju. Carrera took a swig of the glass in front of her, seemingly not happy with what had happened today.  
"It's getting worse every time," she commented.

Henry nodded. "I thought that now that we allowed the Usui boy to stay near her, things might be getting better. But even random strangers can have such an effect on Karin."

"That's because big sister doesn't want to bite people she knows. She hasn't bitten the boy, and she refused Junko as well." Anju said, not looking at Junko at all. Junko wondered how Anju had found out she had offered it to Karin however.

The others glanced in Junko's direction for a moment. Then Henry looked up to the ceiling, to where Karin's room was. "It's too bad mama didn't know anything about Karin's condition. Junko-san, have you come across anything in the books you've been reading lately?" Henry asked her.

Junko shook her head, looking down at her hands she had placed in her lap. "No sir. But to be honest, I didn't know I should be looking out for that kind of thing either. Should I try to find out more in the books?"

Henry nodded. Carrera unleashed a dark scowl. '"Henry, are you serious about letting a human girl research our daughter? What happened to being cautious?"

Henry held up his hand. "It's very clear that Miss Junko means no harm to this family, dear. Her past actions have all been aimed at keeping us safe, and not at finding out things to harm us. The children seem to have taken a liking to her as well."

Ren started to look up at the ceiling at that remark, clearly not intending on telling his parents about the recent developments. His mother threw him a suspicious glance, before directing her golden gaze to Junko.  
"Well? Since everybody in this family seems intent on having you help us, what do you say?"

Junko looked up, her eyes scanning everyone across the table. Anju still had the grim look on her face that meant she was worrying about her sister. Carrera and Henry looked none the better, arms crossed and brows knitted together in a parental worry. The only one who seemed to be confident about her abilities seemed to be Ren, who threw her a wink.

"I guess… I should be able to find something, if it's in those books. I'll put off my writing for a little while, and start looking for mentions about unusual vampires. It would seem to be the best way to repay everyone's kindness to me."

That looked like it had been the right answer. The tension around the table relieved at once, and Henry nodded. "Don't worry, miss Junko. We will all be hitting the books as well. We just wanted to make sure you were still on our side."


	16. The Sweetest Dream

|Junko's Room|

The day after the incident with Karin, Junko was lying on the bed in her room alone. Every once in a while she cast a glance towards the clock, wondering when the time would be good to wake Ren up. She scrunched her nose when she thought about how Karin's blood had covered her the day before. She didn't see why Ren liked blood so much, it had tasted awful. It probably had something to do with different taste buds.

She rested her head on her hand, skimming through the thick, dusty tome she was reading just now. There was hardly any new information in the book, apart from some interesting illustrations on how fangs looked. She peered over them, adjusting her reading glasses. She could already feel her long hair escaping from the bun she had hastily made before the start of her day. With a groan she banged her head on the book.  
"I'm never going to find something helpful in this thing," she moaned.

She took of the glasses, rolling from the bed. The sun had just gone down, which meant she could wake up Ren and perhaps spend some time with her boyfriend. The old book was bound to become more interesting if she could look it over with him.  
"Genji?" she asked out loud, looking to see where the bat was hiding. It came flapping out of her open closet soon after, hooking it's paws around her belt. Hanging upside down like that, it looked up at her, curious to see what she wanted.

"Can you take me to Ren's room? I want to wake him up," She asked the little creature.  
It washed it's head with its tiny paws for a few seconds, before letting out a small chirp. Junko assumed it was replying in the positive, because it flew off into the hallway. Junko let out a secretive 'success' cheer, as quiet as she could in case anyone was listening, before following little Genji.

Genji led her up the stairs, to the third floor. It seemed like she was the only person who was inhabiting the second floor, with Ren having usurped the floor above that for himself. Genji kept himself stationary in the air next to one door, flying inside when Junko slowly opened it up.  
In the middle of the room there was a coffin, closed. It surprised Junko to see that Ren actually slept in that thing. Smoothing out her hair a bit, she snuck up to the coffin, preparing to open it up and give her boyfriend a goodnight kiss.

"Junko?" Ren's voice sounded from behind her.

"HYAAAAH!" Junko yelled, throwing her arms in the air. She looked back in surprise to see Ren standing behind her, hair slightly disheveled. He frowned hearing her being so loud early in the evening.

"What is your problem?" he asked, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to get it better, but only succeeding in making it stick out more.

"I thought you were sleeping in there," she explained, pointing towards the coffin.

Ren shook his head in an attempt to get a bit clearer. "Why would I be sleeping in that thing? I have a bed just over there," he said, pointing behind him. "That thing is just in case Elda wakes up and wants to see how I'm living."

"Ah…" Junko said. Now that her waking up plan had failed, she didn't quite know how to proceed the current situation. Ren however, was one step ahead of the game as always. He stepped towards her with a lazy smile.

"You're looking lovely. Is there a special reason for you to be here so early?" he asked, running his finger across her cheek.

"Not really. I just… got bored reading one of the old books, and I was thinking that…"

"Reading it with me would be more fun?" he continued her sentence for her, his arms sneaking around her waist.

Was there really a time she had thought that he was an insufferable womanizer, that perhaps her life would have been better without him in it? It seemed like such a strange notion to her now, that she had once thought her life would be better if he wasn't near.  
His kiss tasted of mint toothpaste, his skin still moist of his morning shower. The scent of shampoo hung in the air as he pressed her closer against him.

"Next time you should come a bit earlier. Join me in the shower," He suggested playfully, pressed a kiss just beneath her ear. The touch sent a tingly through her spine.

"So eager. We've only been dating for less than three days, remember?" she reminded him, leaning against him.

He let out a groan. "Then what did you expect of me? If you want me to behave, don't come in here so dolled up," He pressed another kiss, this time a bit lower, on her neck.

"And what kind of clothes would be better for an early visit?" she asked him, redirecting his careful ministrations to her lips.

He thought about it for a moment, eyes twinkling with pleasure. "Something like an oversized sweater, with your hair all messed up?" He considered the thought for a moment, before groaning. "No, that wouldn't be able to keep you safe either. I don't think there's anything that would be able to keep me away from you."

"Who suggested I want anything to keep me away from you?" she asked him, teasing.

He rolled his eyes back, letting go of her. "No fair, Junko. If you're going to tease me like that, I won't be able to keep myself under control." He turned around to a door she hadn't seen before.

"Where are you going?" she asked, surprised.

"Taking a cold shower," He told her, closing the door behind him. Junko blushed, deciding she might better get out of the room before Ren changed his mind.

|Junko's Room|

She lay herself back on the bed in order to wait for Ren in a more comfortable fashion. Opening the book back up, she tried to force herself to get a little more work done. Still, more and more, her head started to droop downwards, and before she realized what was happening, she soon snoozed off into dreamland.

_"Junko!" A voice called out to her. Surprised she jerked her head up, looking around her. She was in her room, or at least she thought so. Everything seemed to be a bit hazy, as if the room couldn't come completely into focus.  
"I'm here, Junko." The voice said next to her._

_"Sister?" Junko asked, surprised. Next to her was her sister, looking just like she had before she had been killed. She was even wearing the school uniform Junko remembered her best in._

_Her sister got a goofy grin on her face. "Heeey, you still remember your big sister, good on you, Junko-chan."_

_Junko watched as Asami sat down on the bed, glancing at her little sister. She smiled again, and looked down at the book that was still lying on the bed.  
"You have a really important job to do now, don't you?" her sister asked her._

_Junko nodded, still trying to figure out if this was a dream or if she was hallucinating._

_"Then you have to give it everything you have, Junko. After all, these people are depending on you. You can't allow yourself to give up easily."_

_Junko nodded again, not knowing what she should be saying. "This is a dream, isn't it?" she asked out loud. Her sister looked at her with big, dark chocolaty eyes._

_"If that is what you think, then it really must be true. I'm just here to give my little sister all the encouragement she needs."_

_Junko showed a sad smile this time. She had known it was a dream, but it was still a disappointment. "I'll keep looking. I have to help Ren's family. They've been kind to me, even though I was such a liability. And they're keeping me safe from father."_

_Asami tilted her head to the side. "Does this mean you're not going to leave Japan anymore, then? I'm sure it's making Ren worry a lot, knowing you're still considering, somewhere deep down, to run away to a different country."_

_"I want to make some of your dreams come true, Asami! I want to go see the Louvre that you dreamt of, and watch the Russian ballet."_

_Asami laughed. "That's very nice of you, Junko. But you're forgetting something very important. They were my dreams, and not yours. Why don't you try it? Living your own dreams, for just a little while?"_

_Junko looked down in bemusement. This kind of encouragement was something she had never expected to receive again. She got up from her position, moving to where her sister was sitting. In this dream, she could touch her sister again, rekindle a bond that had been severed for so long ago. She touched Asami, her face, her hair and her hands.  
Asami stretched out her arms towards her younger sister, and Junko found herself wrapped in the arms of a woman she never thought to see in her lifetime. In her dream, tears started to stream, steadily, slowly. This kind of closeness was something she had missed so much._

_"Don't worry too much, Junko," Asami said, stroking Junko's black hair. "You'll dream about me for a while now, so don't cry. You will be able to see me so often from now on, at least for a little while. Let's enjoy this time together, alright?"_

_Junko nodded, trying to stop her tears. "I'm so happy, so happy I was able to see you."_

_Asami pulled Junko's head away from her shoulders, and pressed a gentle kiss on the young woman's cheek. "Keep working hard, dear sister of mine. I love you."_

_"I love you too."_

"I love you too," Junko mumbled, before opening her eyes. With a start she realized Ren had been standing there, looking at her in surprise.

"What are you crying about?" he asked her, clearly looking annoyed at finding her in this position. Junko touched her cheek, feeling how wet it was. "Did you have a nightmare?'" he continued.

She shook her head, getting up on one hand. She used the other one to keep wiping away the tears. "No, I didn't. I was having such a happy dream, that I just… I don't know why I would cry so much, for a dream where something so good happened."

Ren sat down next to her on the bed, face scrunched up in a way that suggested he didn't know how to handle this specific situation. "Well, if you are crying because you're worried about something, just let me know, okay?"

Junko nodded, finally getting her face completely dry again. "It's nothing to worry about. Just a bit of a weird dream." Why should her sister appearing in her dreams be a cause of worry?

"Junko… there's another family meeting called downstairs. Since you're involved in everything these days, my parents want you to come and listen in as well."

Junko looked up at Ren, to see why he sounded so displeased. He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I'd rather you not get involved in all of this vampire business. I know you're keeping our secret, but I would feel better knowing that you don't have to carry this burden along with us. In case… you'd ever want a normal life, and decide to pack off for Europe or something."

She hit him in the side of the head for that remark. "Idiot. Isn't it obvious I'm not going anywhere?"

His eyes widened in surprise at her statement. "Really? But, that was your dream, wasn't it?"

"Let's just say I had a new dream just now, that convinced me my place is here. And let's be honest, you wouldn't last a day without me backing you up," She added the last part with a smile in his direction.

|The Meeting

Downstairs she was filled in on a girl called Tachibana Yuriya. Anju seemed to be the person who knew the most about her, even if her father had also tagged along that specific evening.  
Junko placed her elbows on the table, to better rest her head on her hands. "So… she sucks blood, but she's fine with walking in the daylight? What is she, some kind of super vampire?"

"Different from us, somewhat like big sister," Anju said, pensively. "But more in the middle than one of the two," She added, directing her golden gaze upward to the rest of the gathering.

"Now wait a damn minute!" Ren exclaimed, leaning backwards in his chair as he clapped a hand to his forehead in an attempt to fold his head around the situation. "There can't be two blood-producing vampires, right?"

"That's… still unconfirmed," Anju stated slowly, a quick glance towards Junko to see if she had somehow picked up something from the books. When Junko shook her head, the table sunk in silence for a moment.

"This is too much hassle, let's just catch her and take her out," Carrera eventually said, banging a fist on the table. Her husband cried out in an alarmed fashion when he heard her suggest that.

"I second mother's opinion, she broke the treaty so who cares if she's gone?" Ren added to his mother's suggestion. 

Junko slapped him on the arm. "We don't even know what that girl is here for, we can't just kidnap her!"

"I also agree with the catching part," Anju stated, holding up her hand as if partaking in a vote. The three vampires and Junko turned to face Henry, who sat there with his arms folded over one another.

"If we try to catch her, it's inevitable that she'll know there are vampires in this town," Henry said. "If that is really her objective, we can't just let her learn about our true identity."

Junko let out a deep sigh. "But you guys can't just kidnap some girl just because she's asking questions. That's against human rights."

Ren glanced at her sideways. "Human rights? Those wouldn't apply to someone who isn't human, right? We're vampires, so we have a different way of handling things. If people break the treaty then we can't let them get away with it. It'll make us seem weak."

"And she doesn't need to learn anything about us," Anju added, directing the meeting back to their topic. "We'll squeeze the information we need out of her one-sidedly. That is, confine her, lock her up in a room, isolated from light and sound and in case such a need arises, apply pain as is required."

Junko let out a groan. Carrera immediately jumped to the bait. "I see, there are plenty such rooms in our house."

Ren folded his arms in front of him. "Why bother with pain, when there are plenty of other ways to make a woman talk?"

He was rewarded by both Carrera and Junko grabbing him by the neck of his shirt. "Just what are you trying to pull in our house, kiddo?" his mother asked him.

"My question exactly." Junko added, her look promising she would be the one to lock him up in a room if he were serious.

Ren threw his arms in the air, surrendering. "Just a joke to lighten the mood a little bit."

When he was released, he winked at Junko. "Even if something like that isn't out of the possibilities." Junko looked away, scraping her throat at the suggestion.

"So everyone who is in favor of Anju's idea!" Carrera exclaimed happily, throwing her hand up in the air. To Junko's relief, Henry stepped in.

"That's a crime!" he exclaimed.

"But I really don't want her to find out about Karin," Carrera explained. "And if Elda were to find out that one of her grandchildren is in danger, that would be even worse. So everything we do is just a matter of mercy."

Junko could feel Ren shudder as Elda's name was mentioned, when Henry seemed to reach a conclusion.  
"All right. We'll do what we must do, but as peacefully as we can. And nobody can tell Karin about this."

Junko was the only one in the room who seemed to be visibly relieved. Ren crossed his legs, looking at Junko. "Of course nobody will tell her. She would just try to interfere, and it would make her very unhappy. So absolutely nobody will inform her of what we are about to do." 

Junko crossed her arms as well. "So what you are saying is that you will be kidnapping someone who may be like Karin, but we can't tell her about it?"

"Exactly."

"It's almost morning." Carrera announced, startling Junko into looking for a clock in the room. The meeting had taken longer than she had thought, even though the topics had been by no means sleep-inducing. '"We'll act as soon as the sun sets tomorrow. So everybody make sure you rest up well, because we won't be able to afford any mistakes."

Sullen looking Junko shoved her chair backwards, surprised by Ren laying a hand on her arm. He walked with her up the stairs, neither of them saying anything.  
"Look, it's not like I want to kidnap that girl. It's just that we can't allow any other vampire to know Karin is different, seeing as how we don't know what they'll do to her. We're only doing this so we will be able to survive."

Junko scratched her arm, looking at the ground. "I know. But still, it feels too much like my father's business to feel very comfortable with it. Would it be okay if I come tomorrow as well? I would like to keep an eye out, just in case."

Ren nodded. "Having you there might make her feel a bit more unbalanced, so of course." He looked at her, his gaze softening. "Junko… I would have preferred being with you in a more easy time, but things are like they are. Just forgive me if things were to get a bit rough, okay?"

She took his hand in hers with a smile. "We're both very stubborn at times. But I'll be just as stubborn about you as you are about me."

He let out a shy laugh at that thought. "Then I'm in a lot of trouble."

"You know it," She replied, just as shy. Looking back in her room, she added "I don't suppose you'd like to come in and… talk a bit more?"

He pressed a soft kiss on her lips. "I'm up for anything you are."


	17. Revelations

|Junko's Room|

She guided him into her room, taking Ren's hands in her own to lead the way. The book she had been reading still lay there, opened up and welcoming. Ren closed it with one hand, putting it on the nightstand. His eyes never left hers as they sat down.

She smiled at him, shyly. His smile was more relaxed with the situation. When she didn't say anything, he pulled her close to his chest. Junko could hear his heartbeat, so much slower than that of a human, so much more comforting to her.  
"Stop worrying," He told her. She tried to look up in concern, but he kept her head at that place. "I can tell you're worrying. You always get that one, just one, little wrinkle in your forehead."

At that, he let her raise her head, just so he could press a kiss on the exact spot the wrinkle always appeared. His smooth, golden gaze seemed to exist solely for the purpose of comforting her. Still she pouted as she thought, not so easily taken away from her worries. Worrying about things had been one of her specialties ever since she had been younger.

"I don't think it's right, kidnapping one of Karin's co-workers. That is sending a horrid message to the entire world," She said, trying to sound as convincing as she could.

Ren let out a throaty laugh at that notion. "Maybe… but we are not sending a message to the entire world, just to the people who are sending others to do their dirty work for them," He placed a hand against his forehead, leaning back at the pillows so he could be comfortable as he thought. Junko felt herself being pulled along, leaning on his chest as he talked.  
"And if she were to be like Karin in any way… I guess that would also be a good thing, in a way. Just to let the brat know that she isn't the only one who has such a weird condition."

Junko smiled, her arms trailing around Ren to embrace him. "I'm happy to hear you're showing concern for your sister," She announced, turning a bit so she could look at his face instead of his chest. 'Since you're always picking on her.'

Ren scowled at the accusation, before he had to admit with a grin that he was kind of hard on her most of the time. "I can't help it. She's gotta learn to be tough, if she ever hopes to make it out there on her own," His face grew darker again. "She isn't able to live in the night like the rest of my family. And we can't protect her during the day time."  
He let out a deep sigh, allowing Junko to feel how his chest rose with his breath. "Things would be easier if she could fend for herself better. So yeah, I'm tough on her. It's the only way I can protect her."

Junko pressed her finger against his nose, giving it a short nudge. "What you're actually saying is that you're a big softie," She ignored his dark scowl. "My big bad vampire with a heart of gold," She announced, her dark brown eyes crinkling with pleasure at the surprised look on his face.  
She wiped away his bangs a little, crawling up towards him just a little better. "You're going to need a haircut soon," She told him softly. "Your hair has grown so long since I've gotten to know you."

He took her hand in his once more, pressing her fingertips to his lips with a slow smile. "My demon woman," He said with a certain pride in his voice. "I was sure you were designed specifically to torture me."  
He placed a hand on the back of her head, easing her closer to him. "And such sweet torture you have turned out to be."

|The Next Evening|

"We know you are a vampire. We've been watching you feed," Henry announced to the bound girl on the floor. Junko could see how hard the vampire was attempting to look stern and threatening, something which wasn't easy for a kind person like him.

Yuriya Tachibana herself didn't seem to be very threatening to Junko. A girl with glasses and pigtails, wearing the maid outfit from Julian's, and seemingly very distressed, she hardly she seemed like she posed such a huge threat. If anything, if Henry and Anju hadn't seen her feeding nobody would ever have pegged the girl for a vampire. She watched the conversation between the two of them, Henry trying to push her into telling what he wanted to know and Yuriya claiming she didn't know anything.

When Henry looked at Junko, the young woman shrugged. Rubbing a hand over the fresh bite marks in her neck – Ren had been 'peckish', as he called it, though it was just an excuse to get closer to her – Junko hesitated before answering him.  
"She knows something," She finally conceded, staring down Yuriya. "People only deny like that, without offering any kind of information in return, if they know what's really going on," Junko crossed her arms, looked at the woman who seemed to be her junior by only a few years. She certainly had an older look to her than Karin, though that could have been the scowl she was constantly wearing.

"And how would you know that?" Yuriya demanded. Henry threatened to lock her up in the room for as long as necessary, before asking Junko to keep a further watch on Yuriya.

Junko took her place on the now empty chair, crossing her legs as she watched down on Yuriya with a wry smile. "Let's just say that at some point in my life I actually considered taking over the family business."  
Junko glanced towards the door. Of all the people in the house, Henry had trusted her the most to not immediately step towards torture in order to get information from their prisoner. Which had left her as the nominee for most likely guard.

"And why is a human involved in a vampire family anyway?" Yuriya continued.

"I'll tell you my secret if you tell me yours," Junko replied, picking up a new book she had picked up in the basement. She had dreamt about her sister again, being encouraged to not quit her search. When she cast a look towards their prisoner, Yuriya seemed to be attempting to stare her down for some reason. Junko rolled her eyes at that, before she heard the sound of a phone in the other room. Yuriya seemed to have heard as well, perking up in an attempt to listen in.

"I wouldn't bother if I were you," Junko told her, running a hand through her hair in an attempt to figure out what she could and could not say. "They're probably calling for some more expert reinforcements."

A few seconds later Anju stepped into the room, accompanied by some bats and her father. She looked at Yuriya with her trademark ice queen look, only sparing a softer glance for her brother's girlfriend.  
"Papa said he didn't want to let things turn into bloodshed. Which is why now you'll have to suffer through this."

Junko watched in amazement as the bats proceeded to tickle the woman on the ground, every laugh clearly sending a stab through Henry's heart as he watched. Once Yuriya had trouble catching her breath, Anju paused for a second.  
"You should stop further resistance for your own health," Anju stated, indicating that she herself couldn't be less interested in the woman's well-being. "We only want to understand why you came to this city in the first place."

Yuriya answered from her lying position. "If I were to do that, would you warrant my leave, unharmed?" she asked. Junko had to admit, the girl had guts. And if the vampires kept things civil like this, she wouldn't have to come in close contact with the girl's actual guts either.

Carrera stepped in, hands on her voluptuous hips as she sent a dark scowl, much like her son's, to their prisoner. "That depends on your answer. You did come into our city, breaking the absolute treaty," No matter how much Carrera disliked her mother in law, at moments like these both possessed the same iron will.

Yuriya chuckled. "You seem to imply I'm a spy who came here to find something," She struggled up to her knees, leaving Junko to force her on her backside once again. When Yuriya glared at her through her glasses, she gave back an equally cold look. For now, Junko had to make sure nothing bad would happen to Karin. And this Yuriya started to smell of trouble more with every second that passed. The woman looked back at the vampires, ignoring the human element in the room for now. "That means there is something to find you don't want other to find out about, right?"

Carrera got a positively evil look on her face. "Still being stubborn? Then we'll have to keep you in this room for as long as it takes. By day our friend here-" she waved a hand towards Junko. "-Will keep an eye on you. And by night you will be questioned by us, every hour. You understand, don't you?"

Junko kept from sighing out loud. Ren had kept her up so long into the morning she hadn't been able to get out of bed for work in time, which had earned her a serious scolding. If she had to babysit the prisoner on top of her job, she wouldn't have a life left.

"And if we would find you're a danger to us, we will simply wipe your memory," Anju added. Yuriya glanced towards Junko now, as if wondering if they were going to do the same to the human woman in their midst.  
Junko pulled up one corner of her mouth, trying to smile like Ren did so often when he came up with some plan to get on people's nerves. It seemed to work, because Yuriya didn't press further on that specific matter.

"You guys… are serious?" Yuriya asked.

The vampire family nodded as one, backed up by Junko standing behind Yuriya. This seemed to really worry the girl, something which Junko was quick to pick up on. Having a father who frequently had 'heart to heart' talks with people did have some side effects.

The severity of the situation was lessened somewhat by the sound of the front door being slammed shut. Vaguely they could hear Karin calling for her younger sister, something which hadn't escaped the prisoner's attention either.  
Junko bit the inside of her cheek, hoping that Ren would be smart enough to keep his sister busy for a little while. Or a lot longer, just to make sure Karin wouldn't find out what her family was up to while she was at work. Anju surprised her by sending a bat to make Yuriya sleep, causing the girl to fall to the ground with a loud thud.

Not too long after Karin was on the other side of the door, trying to open it up from the outside. Junko could already see how hopeless the situation was becoming as James attempted to keep the door shut from the inside.  
"Things would be easier if you would have invested in a few decent locks," Junko whispered, sounding dejected.

Carrera glanced towards the human. "No matter how casual we were about the situation, it's not like we often have this kind of thing going on."

When Karin somehow managed to rip the doorknob from its holdings, Junko clasped her hands in front of her face in a show of defeat. No matter how this situation was twisted or turned, they were in a room with Karin's unconscious co-worker, who was on top of that all tied up.

Junko's worst suspicions were confirmed when she saw Karin go slack-jawed at the sight of an unconscious Yuriya, tied up on the floor. She rushed over the girl's side, looking at her family in a show of surprise. Junko looked to the door when she saw Ren coming in, an apologetic look on his face.

"Sis, she's a vampire," Anju said right to the point. "She was investigating us, that's why we brought her here."

Karin lifted up her friend, looking at her family in surprise and slight horror. "But to tie her up like this…"

"That was a precaution, something we should do to protect my weak sister. We don't want any other family to find out about you," Anju continued.

Junko thought that sentiment was perhaps a bit harsh, but she could understand the idea behind it. Karin was a special vampire, and there was no telling what vampires who had no affiliation would do when they found out about her.  
She watched as they woke up Yuriya, her hand once again reaching to where Ren's bite marks were. He was standing behind her now, looking at the girl on the floor with a look that spelled pure worry. Junko wondered if he had already told his parents about their new relationship.

She was called back to reality by Yuriya slapping Karin. "Don't tell me you're the same as me? The child of a human… and a vampire?"

At this Junko glanced at Ren for a second, before watching the surprised reactions of the vampires in the room. At their reaction Yuriya hid her face in shame. "You all didn't know because children like us are a shame to our families. I was kept a secret from everybody!"

"What about your vampire parents?" Henry asked, completely forgetting about his bad guy act.

Yuriya forced back some tears. "My father died, just like my mother did a little while ago. I thought I would be safe with my father's relatives, but they don't want anything to do with me," Suddenly she shot up, looking around the room. "But father said that if anything ever happened, I should look for a vampire called James Marker, who is a kind pro-conformist who would do anything to help me!"

"It would appear Mister James died a short while ago," Junko eventually said when it seemed that nobody would say anything about that statement. She took a closer look at the Tachibana girl. "That still doesn't explain why you decided to start talking now."

Yuriya pointed towards Karin. "I wanted to know if she was the same as me! Is she a half-vampire like me?"

At this Henry turned to Carrera with tears in his eyes. "Darling, how could you?"

"How would she end up looking like your mother if I cheated?" She retorted right back at him.

"I just have some weird physical quirk that makes me able to go out during the day," Karin said softly to her friend. Junko, Ren and Anju remained focused on what they two of them exchanged while the parental unit continued their quarrel.

"But you're a day walker vampire just like me. I'm so happy," Karin said, clasping her hands together.

This statement clearly didn't go down too well with Yuriya, who embraced Karin in a passionate show of what seemed to be like long lost sister ship.  
"Now I know there were actually a human and a vampire who lived like that together… that makes me so happy."

Meanwhile Junko was viciously trying to avoid eye contact with Ren at the mention of babies. Of course the playboy vampire's favorite hobby related directly to that subject, not making this moment any less awkward for the both of them.  
Junko hadn't even considered kids with Ren up until that point. Hell, she had been happy just knowing she would be able to hold his hand without having to feel totally awkward about the situation. Throwing kids on the mix like that was just pure sadism.

"Very well, miss Yuriya is welcome to stay in town. But only if you promise to keep Karin's secret," Henry told her, sounding gruff at the idea.  
Junko understood. With her and Usui, and now Yuriya, there were now three people who knew about the Maaka family in town. That was hardly good for a family who wanted to stay as inconspicuous as possible.

Junko made her way out of the room now that everything was resolved, scratching the back of her head as she contemplated the new information that had been thrown her way.  
"Sheeeesh… who would have known that that would ever be an issue in my life… right, Genji?" she asked, looking for the bat who should have been around here somewhere. The little bat was nowhere to be spotted however, and Junko found herself alone in the corridor. She looked at her watch, and decided that if she wanted to get back to work on time for a change, she'd better make her way to her room. And shut the doors in case Ren had a mind of sneaking in again and keeping her up all night.

Thankful that said vampire was still discussing details with his parents, Junko made her way to the stairs. She considered if perhaps she should have a chat with Karin as well, about the whole vampire dating a human thing. Not that she was such an expert, with her less than a week record, but she figured she would be the best source of info there was on the subject.  
"Not really sure what I would tell her though…" she muttered against the air.

A floor board creaked near her. With a start Junko turned around, only to be grabbed by the neck and pushed against the wall. She let out a shriek of fear at the impact, trying to keep her cool on who would want to attack her in this house. Was Ren playing some kind of weird game?

The smirk on the person who was holding her was all too familiar, and it did one hell of a job in sending shivers down her spine.


	18. Objections

|Maaka Residence|

Junko tried to gasp for air against the painful grip that was keeping her pinned against the wall. The eyes that were watching her were painfully familiar, with a look that spelt doom if she didn't give the right answers to whatever questions their owner had.

"Miss… Elda," She struggled the words out, her hands gripping the cold grasp that kept her in place. For a woman with such a slim build she had amazing strength. Though it shouldn't be that surprising, taking into consideration Elda wasn't exactly a normal woman.

"Junko-chan," Elda purred, her eyes in cat slits as she spoke. "I've just woken up and I feel so very… thirsty. Would you be a dear and help me out?"

Junko swallowed and renewed her attempt at getting away. Getting bitten by Ren was one thing, but allowing his grandmother to feed on her was another matter entirely. For one thing, she wasn't quite sure Elda would be all that gentle about it. Her eyes grew bigger as she viewed the vampire's fangs elongate. Cold sweat formed on her brow as she tried to keep her breathing even.

Elda let her other hand slide across Junko's arm, over the long sleeves the young woman wore to protect herself from the damp and cold in the house. Her smile was almost entrancing, and Junko felt her heartbeat increase slightly.

Junko cast her eyes upwards as Elda hooked her fingers around her collar, pulling it down to reveal her neck. And immediately the grip around her neck was released, and instead of being devoured she ended up dragged across the hallway towards the stairs.  
"Wha-?" she started, before thinking better about it. When your neck was set free from the chopping board, only an idiot started to ask questions that would put you right back in the starting position.

With a start Junko realized they were going towards the bedroom the Markers had so kindly lent her. Before she was able to say anything about it, they had passed the door. Elda flung her captive on the bed, locking the door behind them. As Junko struggled up from the bed, Elda pushed her back down before letting herself drop unceremoniously in the same chair she had sat in weeks before that.

"Start talking, girl," Elda commanded, crossing her legs with an unamused look.

Junko wiped her long, straight hair from her eyes, looking at the older woman with a stupefied gaze. "What are you talking about, miss Elda?" she asked, thoroughly confused with the situation.

"The bite marks in your neck. Elaborate," Elda said, her nails tracing patterns on the chair as she waited impatiently.

Junko swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "Well… Ren bit me," she confessed, deciding that having Elda pull the truth out of her slowly and painfully wasn't the most preferred way to go. Sadly enough this vampire didn't have the soft heart of her son, something which Carrera had gleefully informed her off during one of the soaps the two women had been watching together.

"Of course it was my grandson," Elda sneered, the look on her face suggesting that she herself had gotten that far. "The question is, since when? How often? And what is the status of your relationship by now?"

Junko crawled up to a kneeling position on the bed, bowing her head in an attempt to hide her panic. "That is… well… honestly speaking…"  
Elda swung her foot up and down, waiting for the human girl to continue.  
"Ren has been biting me since the beginning of the year, not that often at all. As for our relationship right now… We are currently dating!"

Silence pervaded the room. Junko tried to ignore the rushing of her blood in her ears, waiting for Elda to say something. Would the woman be very angry with her? What were her exact chances of survival right now? Just what would the woman do?

The clock kept ticking, counting every second of very painful silence. Junko eventually glanced up, looking to see what Elda was doing.  
The woman was still seated on the chair, legs crossed as she twirled a long strand of hair around her fingers. She was sucking the inside of her cheek, observing Junko as she did so.

"Troublesome," She concluded eventually, standing up. "You sit down there," she commanded to Junko when she noticed how the person she now perceived as a perpetrator was attempting to stand up. Pacing the room, Elda mumbled some words that sent a chill down Junko's spine. Her long hair trailed behind her as she walked around, every once in a while sending a glare towards Junko, before she finally dropped back in the chair with a deep sigh.

"Honestly… Ren was supposed to get sick of you and erase your memory. That's the only reason I suggested to my son that you stay in this house. But now the two of you have gone and become all lovey-dovey with each other," Elda placed her hand against her forehead, letting out a deep wail of self-pity. "And I was thinking about having a little fun with you as well, but now I can't because my darling grandson would hate me."

Elda slapped her hands together, struck by a sudden idea. "That reminds me, Karin was also infatuated with a human boy. I should go and check up on her as well."

Elda got up, but instead of leaving Junko's room she instead opened up her clothes closet.  
"Miss Elda?" Junko eventually piped up. If she hadn't been terrified of the mater familias before this event, now she had the proper amount of bloodcurdling fear. "What are you doing?"

"I need some suitable clothes if I'm going to check up in my cute granddaughter. Last time people looked far too strange when they could see me, and I don't want to embarrass her around others," Elda said, taking out a pair of jeans, before tossing them on the bed behind her. "Consider it the beginning of the price you will be paying for living in this house, and knowing our secret."

|Three Hours Later|

After Elda had left, she had locked the door from the outside. This had left Junko to fall asleep on the bed, thinking that she should get some rest if she wanted to do a proper job. Of course, going to her job would be the least of the vampire's concerns.

Before she knew what was happening, she was woken by Karin's loud cries. She had just the time to open up her eyes before a strong arm grabbed her by the waist, carrying her down the stairs to the family room. Her wakening up was rudely concluded when she was dropped on the ground by a disgruntled Elda, who was obviously in attack modus.

"Mother, you're awake?" Henry started, ignoring the snide comment his wife made about dementia in older vampires.

"Let's skip the family greetings for this one," Elda said, placing a foot in front of Junko's face in order to keep her from running away. "I'd rather you tell me why there are now two humans whose memories still haven't been wiped clean."

"You mean Junko-san and Kenta Usui," Anju stated, looking at her grandmother with a solemn expression. If the previous kidnapping had had any effect on the underage vampire, she didn't show it.

Elda let out a very unlady-like grunt. "I don't care what the boy's name is. Tradition dictates we erase the memory of any humans who learn about our true nature," Elda's eyes fixed on Ren, who was sitting in the sofa as he observed the current events. "And if it is too late to wipe their memories, we kill them.'"Elda pointed down to Junko, who had turned a very pale color all of a sudden. "So why is this woman still breathing? Why hasn't that boy been properly dealt with?"

Now this statement had gotten Ren's attention. He stood up slowly, with a deliberate attitude that could only be read from his stance. Before he got anything to say, Henry once again intervened. "Now mother, the council decided that killing humans is far too dangerous for us in this day and age."

Elda let out an exasperated laugh at this information. "So let me get this straight… because of a bunch of shriveled-up codgers you haven't done anything about this situation at all?"

Karin tried to get in her own say at this point, but was quickly interrupted by Carrera. "Karin, go to your room. You won't be able to help at all during this," Junko watched as Karin left, wishing that she too would be dismissed, or at least moved to a position that wouldn't let Elda crush her like a bug without blinking.

Elda gave Henry a sideways glance, walking away from Junko. Ren moved opposite of his grandmother, helping Junk stand up. Both of them kept a vigilant eye on the elder vampire.  
"Henry, you really are slacking up when it comes to taking care of your kids. I caught Karin kissing today. Or well, trying to kiss at least."

Junko thought that Henry would have a heart attack at this announcement. As it was, he managed to stay standing, looking at his mother as if he had just seen a ghost. "They… they…"

"Of course who am I to ruin my adorable granddaughter's fun? I remember when I was a smitten young lass in the day with James. And it's not like it will be anything serious as my handsome grandson dating the human you have taken under your roof."

At this moment, both Carrera and Henry turned robotically towards Ren and Junko. The latter felt her knees going weak, falling backwards against Ren in order to keep her balance. "Well… it's not like we were keeping it a secret on purpose," She started to say.

Elda folded her hands together, smiling evilly. "What is to say what will happen when either of your children makes a 'mistake'? After all, kissing leads to more. What is to say how far your son has already gone?" the elder woman continued, looking at Junko as if she had already scored a victory.

The matter was decided unexpectedly when Henry stormed out of the room, leaving everybody else standing there with a surprised look on their faces.  
"He probably went to ask Karin about what happened," Carrera clarified, looking at her mother-in-law with a disgruntled look. After that, Carrera turned to Junko and Ren. "As for you two, we will have to have a talk together."

Elda looked like a cat that had come upon an unguarded barrel of cream. "Just don't let Junko-chan leave the house for now. She might try to run away now that she understands in what kind of trouble she is."

Junko's jaw tightened at the accusation. "I will not run away. I promised everyone in this house that I would help them, and I'm planning to keep my word."

Elda's eyes showed a twinkle at that. As she stepped towards Junko, Ren wrapped his arms around his girl, intent on protecting her should Elda prove ready to go over to physical action.  
"Just remember, my dearest Junko, one wrong move…" she waved her hand in front of Junko's face, ignoring Ren's scowl. "… and I'll be the one to erase everything you know."

With a shiver Junko watched as her sudden enemy walked out of the door. When she paid attention again to what was happening in the room, she saw Carrera observing the both of them. Anju was also still in the room, though Junko wasn't entirely sure about who's side the young girl would be on.

Carrera fell in a chair, reaching for the glass of blood she hadn't been able to finish thanks to the disturbance. "Of course she had to wake up now. It's a good thing that we got the Tachibana girl out of the house before she ran into her, or things would have gotten really ugly."

Anju nodded slightly. "About Junko-san and big brother… I support them. As far as women go, Junko is best suited for keeping big brother in check" Anju continued when she noticed she had the attention of the trio in the room. "On top of that, there are no single vampires left for big brother to marry, so it would be only natural that he finds a mate among humans."

Junko looked up at Ren's face in surprise. She had known that vampire births had been on the decline, but that there already were no adult female vampires left to marry… was that the reason that he had eventually chosen her?

Ren let out a sneer. "Who's talking about marrying anyway? All I know is, I like this woman enough to be near her, and she likes me enough to actually be able to put up with my true nature. So I would appreciate it if you wouldn't worry about the two of us."

Carrera nodded absently. "Of course I'm not planning on interfering with the two of you. But I would advise for the two of you to keep some distance while you're in the house, just so Elda won't be getting the wrong idea about what is actually going on. What happens between two consenting adults should remain between them, but sadly that woman can't help but meddle in anything she considers a family business."

"Honestly speaking, with big brother's reputation it's a miracle that things haven't progressed any further," Anju announced in her usual cool tone.

Junko couldn't help but feel a stab of panic at that. Just how much did Ren's little sister know about their relationship anyway? When she looked up at Ren, he seemed to be slightly embarrassed for a moment. He pushed up his long bangs, away from his eyes. "I guess the cat's out of the bag now. I was hoping to keep things informal for a little while longer actually. Dating always seemed like such a hassle, even when you don't count the interspecies thing."

Junko closed her eyes, leaning against Ren's chest for a moment longer. So far it seemed as if the only one who was really opposed to the idea was Miss Elda. Sadly enough, that person was also the most volatile of the entire group.

|That Morning|

"I already said I'm going to call them," Junko said, trying to avoid Elda who had been hovering near her room ever since things had been cleared up. She reacted dejectedly when she once again found a cellphone shoved in her face while she was trying to have breakfast. Karin wasn't feeling to great during this meal either, thanks to her grandmother observing her like a hawk would a baby chick.

Finally Junko decided to call the bureau to tell them she was sick. At this rate she thought it a good probability she would be getting fired, something which was not a good prospect. As she was talking on the phone, she could feel the icy pinpricks of Elda watching her. Why did Ren have to be asleep at a time like this? Usually she was all for fighting her own battles, but now she realized that Ren had just been teasing her at the beginning of their acquaintanceship in comparison to this.

Elda's gaze followed Karin as she ran out of the room to go to school, before she looked back at Junko. "People have really changed. Two hundred years ago, women wouldn't have been able to even dream about getting a job, and here you are."

Junko nodded, taking a slow bite of toast. She wondered when Elda would be retreating to her coffin, or if the woman was planning on keeping watch over her for the rest of the day. When she didn't say anything to the previous statement, Elda continued.  
"You understand that, right? When I saw two hundred years ago, it's because I was first-hand how things were then. The life-span of a vampire is vastly different from that of a human. Ren will still be in the prime of his life when you're old and shriveled."

Junko kept chewing her toast, trying not to get lured out by the woman's words.

"On top of that, any children you would have would be abominations. Half-vampires who end up resenting the vampire parent for their defective bodies, even if the human parent should have known better than to get involved. Those children are doomed to a life that is between two worlds, and can never have a family of their own. They are unable to have children, and they can't help but hating their parents. Is that really what you want for yourself?"

Junko started to butter a second piece of toast, getting increasingly annoyed with the information Elda was giving her. She had already guessed she and Ren wouldn't be growing old together. The idea of children had been something she hadn't even considered until Yuriya had revealed that piece of information to her.

"I can erase your memories for you, right now. I'll try to work around the important bits, so that you'll be able to go back to your normal life, instead of living in the world of night where you were never meant to be."

Junko finally slammed her fists on the table. "I don't care about growing old or having children right now. At this moment, I'm just happy that I can be at Ren's side. I'm happy that Ren wants to be with me, and that we can do stuff together. I'm happy that we can laugh about the same things, and that we like the same kinds of movies. When he told me that he really hated garlic, I stopped eating that because I want to be able to always see him smile. So don't tell me that you want to erase my memory like it's some kind of favour. For me at this moment, being with Ren is one of the best things that could have ever happened to me!'

With those words, Junko stormed out of the kitchen. Elda remained behind, blinking at the sudden outburst.

"What a stubborn child she is."


	19. Loving you

|Maaka Residence|

"Hyah!" Junko let out a scream when Ren walked around the corner. Her boyfriend flinched as well, nearly jumping away from her in sudden fright at her reaction.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed, looking at her in surprise. "What kind of good evening greeting is that supposed to be?" Ren seemed to be fully dressed and ready to forage into town for food. Since Elda had awakened again he had seen little chance to quench his thirst with Junko. It worried her a little bit, because she needed to trust Ren not to go any further than biting with the women he sought out.

"I thought you were your grandmother!" she replied, her heart still doing over-time out of fear that the woman might pop up any given moment. "She already ambushed me when I just came out of the shower."

Elda had taken on the very blood-curdling habit of being around whenever Junko came out of her room. In the past two days Junko had made sure to always wake up just before the sun set, in order to evade the same sort of situation that had happened the very first night after Elda's waking up. Then the woman had been waiting in her room for her to wake up, following her into the bathroom 'to keep an eye on a dangerous person'.  
Not only that, but she also made sure to interrupt any moment Ren and Junko might have at a private chat and she kept a vigilant guard on the door in case Junko would decide to make a run for it. If this lack of privacy continued, odds of her trying to run out of the door screaming increased with each passing second.

"Where is she now?" Ren asked, rubbing his temples. Even Elda's love for her grandson hadn't been enough to drag her away from her new favorite game. He had even gone as far as to suggest playing another round of cards with the old hag, which she had refused because at that moment Junko had taken out her laptop to watch a new series. It had taken a lot of convincing before Elda had relinquished that piece of technology again.

"In my room. Trying out clothes. She's going out tonight apparently," Junko sighed, looking miserable. Life in the vampire home hadn't been a breeze, but at least it hadn't been a total nightmare. "She kept muttering about smelling something unpleasant, and it seems like she wants to go check out what's causing it."

Ren bit the nail on his thumb, considering this information. What if she had found out about the Tachibana girl? Not that the girl was a problem to him, much too bratty for his tastes. He leant towards Junko for a kiss without realizing it, slowly forgetting what he had been thinking about for now.

"Love so early in the evening kiddies?" Elda called out to them from the top of the stairs. The couple froze in their action, letting out a deep sigh simultaneously when they realized Elda had once again managed to ruin another moment. As they looked up they could see Elda had dressed up in the latest fashion. She had taken a liking to Junko's wardrobe, to the great dismay of the person who actually owned the clothes. "I'll be going out tonight, but I expect Junko-chan to still be here when I get back." The 'or else' part of the sentence wasn't exactly said out loud, but it was implied so heavily it lingered in the air.

Down the stairs she tried to glomp Ren for a kiss, who deftly dodged but remained close in case Elda would try to take Junko with her. Elda let out a huff, giving Junko a wink before she walked towards the door. "Remember, just be here when I get back."

Junko watched the front door slam closed again as the vampire left, a heavy weight lifting from her shoulders. She hadn't thought that Elda had been so… so cramping her down, but now she realized that constantly being hovered over by a vampire out for blood had been causing her more mental problems than she had realized. "She's gone…" she muttered, staring at the door. She couldn't believe it. Hours without someone hovering over her shoulder or insinuating that her memory could be wiped any moment.  
"I'm free," She said out loud. "I can do whatever the hell I want right now. I can go take a walk outside, or take out my laptop. I could-"

She was cut of short by Ren closing his lips on hers. After a second she responded to him, still elated that right now there was no Elda in the house. When he released her, she laughed as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I can kiss you."

He looked down at her with a smirk, eye twinkling in the candle light. "That's another possibility," He agreed, lowering his head for another kiss.

She responded to him just as eagerly, realizing just how much she had missed being able to just spend time with Ren. They hadn't had a moment to talk at all, not to mention do something as simple as hold hands. In between kisses he must have thought the same thing, as he took of her hands in his, fingers entangling.  
The palm of his hand rested against hers, cool and smooth. He used his other hand to press her closer against him in a sudden display of possessiveness. "I've missed you," he mumbled.

She knew what he meant. Locked in a house together, and unable to touch or look at each other without prying eyes. "I missed you too," She replied between kisses. He let go of her hand, pressing her body against him with both arms now. Junko sighed in the action, allowing herself to be pressed against him, her hands sliding up towards his shoulders.

Ren tasted her lips, her cheek, running his lips across her neck before turning back to her mouth. Apart from knowing how she must have been feeling these past few days, there was of course his affinity for stress. It would seem like there was nothing as stress-inducing like his grandmother, and he had been unable to do anything about his insatiable thirst as long as Junko smelled so deliriously good. No woman he had been able to find came close to how she tasted.  
And for once in his life he found himself having no desire for another woman than her in his bed. He let out a soft moan against her mouth as she allowed him entrance. There was no way he could find a woman who was as infuriating as her.

Soon they found a wall where Ren could press her against. Her hands gripped his shoulders, not willing to let go. He wanted to take her to a more secluded spot than here, but at the same time he didn't want to interrupt this display of affection. He had had to go without for far too long. If he stopped now, there was a chance she would decide she didn't want to go further. He didn't know how many more cold showers he would be able to handle.

"Ren…" Junko whispered his name. There was nothing more to say, nothing else to acknowledge than that he was with her. He was here, holding her, kissing her. For the moment that was all she could wish for.  
He murmured her name, barely audible as just then he held her head against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat, normally so steady and now beating so fast.  
"Come with me to my room," She asked him earnestly. She could see a sudden flash of insecurity in his eyes, a hesitation when it came to her invitation.

"I… I don't think I should…" he said, voice hoarse and thick with desire. She bit her lip, noting how his eyes were unable to resist that action.

"Please, come with me," Junko said again. He looked down at her, surprise and unexplained caution fighting for domination on his face. Finally he nodded, and once more a small amount of tension managed to leave her body. She had feared that he might reject her after everything they had found out these past few days.

Somehow they made it up the stairs, in between kisses and nearly falling down two times because they neglected to watch their footing. Caught up in that rush of young lovers, the only thing they could acknowledge was each others existence. Anything else might just as well be an illusion. Ren doubted even the sudden arrival of every vampire in the country would be able to keep him away from Junko at this exact moment.

Ren lifted her up, Junko crossing her legs around his waist with a sudden squeal of surprise. He made his way to her door out of memory, not able to tear away his face for long enough to actually take notice of where he was going. Genji the bat made his way out of her room with annoyed little cries when Ren pushed open the door to her bedroom, not pleased with how the vampire made clear that right now he needed no prying eyes around.

He closed the door behind them, turning the lock just in case. Junko could feel herself dropping down lower as Ren seated himself on the bed, allowing her to remain on top of him. With a sigh of contentment she let her fingers trace his cheeks. He had just shaved, there was no trace of stubble on his cheeks. He watched her, eyes so intent on her that she almost felt a chill running down her spine in excitement. He smelled of aftershave, but only very faintly. He let his hands slide up on her legs, each finger mapping her out in exact detail.

She slowly undid his tie, at the same time keeping control of him by that exact garment. Ren looked at her face, her brown eyes watching down so she could see what she was doing. As her fingers moved to unbutton his shirt, teasingly slow, he had to keep himself from throwing her on the bed. He didn't want to frighten her. She was the first one to know who he was and she still managed to kiss him without restraints. He couldn't risk scaring her away.

Junko didn't have any such reservations. All she knew was that right now, she had Ren to herself. Just the two of them, thinking about the time they had together was enough to make her drunk with happiness. The quick kisses from downstairs had turned into longer, lazier ones. Her hands rested on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath her fingers. His hands curved around her lower back, tracing the little indentation where her spine was through the thin sweater she was wearing. Junko could feel how careful he was being, how hard he was trying not to move too fast for her.

She started to kiss his cheek, going down to his neck. He tensed up at the touch, but still moved his head in such a way that he could allow her to reach better. She continued, along his collar bone towards his chest. She paused where she could feel his heartbeat, lingering there with her lips. For a person who had seemed so cold-hearted towards her at the beginning, his heart was now beating so violently because of her presence.

Ren's body and mind finally decided they could take no more, urging him to roll her below him. He complied with this need. She didn't protest, the only sound coming from her lips was his name. How insanely good his name sounded when it came from between her lips.  
He looked down on her, his senses clouded with desire for her, and the hunger she sparked forth in him. When he felt his fangs protruding, he covered them with his hand. Ren didn't want her to think that he only wanted her as food. Nor did he want to give her a reason to fear him.

How surprised he was when she instead took his hand, pulling it away from his fangs. With the very same hand she had once slapped him with, now she gently traced his cheek. When her finger touched his fang, he wanted to pull away, only to be stopped by her once again.  
"Ren… I think I love you," Junko said, simply and hesitant. "And I'm afraid that means fangs and all."

He looked down at her, not believing what he was hearing. "What are you saying?" He still wanted her, but he didn't know if they would be able to make it together. And yet he allowed her to bring her face closer to his, allowed her hands to rest on his shoulders.  
"I love you, Ren Maaka."

That was all he needed for now. It was quite possible all he would ever need for the rest of his life. For the first time in a very long while his hands shivered as he removed her sweater, marveling at the sight of so much she usually covered. Junko felt herself be conquered in exhilaration, and conquered him in return. There was total trust in one another, no need to hold back. Even as he bit her at the peak of the moment there was no shame between them, only understanding. Junko thought that as long as she could be with him, as long as they could be together, she would have no regrets about her decision.

"I love you, Junko Akane… demonic attitude and all."

|Later|

Ren was enjoying the feeling of having Junko resting on his arm, against his chest. This was an extremely new sensation for the former playboy. He thought that perhaps he should have gone more slowly, perhaps take more precaution. One thought about how she had cried out was enough to get rid of every inkling of regret he could have entertained.

At least, the good feeling lasted for as long as could be expected in a troubled household. Before he had finished replaying the past events his cellphone started ringing. With a startled look Junko got up as well, trying to see what the commotion was about. With a frown he saw it was Anju who was calling him.

"Anju, what's the matter? Why are you calling me?" he asked, signing towards Junko to find his pants somewhere in the room. He found the view of her scampering around the room in so little attirement quite fetching, before he focused himself to pay attention to what his sister was saying.

"Grandmother had taken Tachibana and big sister. Go and save her, before big sister tells her more than she needs to know." This was all Ren needed. He told Junko to stay in the house, and not to worry. In fact she probably had every reason to worry, since this meant the old hag would have even more reason to start a fuss. With a kiss he told her goodbye, running out of the room as he put on the coat she had once given him.

Junko watched him leave, amazed and slightly worried. With a sad look she started to put on some more clothes. Whatever was happening, odds were his grandmother would be returning soon, which would put an end to the amount of time they had had to spend together.

"Anju!" she exclaimed in surprise, feeling suddenly very happy that she had decided to put on clothes before brushing her hair.

"Don't worry about big brother. It's just that grandmother is causing trouble again, and he's the fastest when it comes to traveling with bats," The girl announced, seemingly unconcerned with how disheveled their guest looked at the moment.

"Be happy you two got done with the hot and heavy before trouble arose, or Ren would probably have-" Bge started, before he was shushed by Anju, dashing any hope Junko had for keeping what had just happened a secret. It would seem that privacy was really non-existent in a vampire home. She brought a hand to the fresh bite in her neck, hoping that perhaps Elda would be kept out of the loop for a little while longer.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. After all, I approved of you," Anju reassured her, in a way that wasn't a hundred percent successful. "More importantly, you should continue to freshen up. I sense another family meeting on the way."

|Family Meeting|

And indeed, once again there was a talk about the current events. Karin and Anju had been upstairs taking care of a battered Tachibana, before Anju had returned downstairs. Meanwhile Henry filled his mother in on the details concerning Karin's condition.

"And you thought I would harm my granddaughter?" Elda exclaimed, sounding righteously angered at the accusation. "Henry, I'm very disappointed in you. I would never let any harm come to a member of my family. More importantly, you should have told me earlier. To a vampire, blood is life. If Karin is losing blood, she is losing her life. What's to tell if this continues to happen? If only James were still alive, he would know about this kind of thing!"

"Could you at least find it in your heart to forgive Yuriya Tachibana as well? It's not her fault the girl was born that way, and right now she is the one who best understands Karin. As well as that boy, Kenta Usui and miss Akane. They are all helping to keep Karin's secret safe, and they are able to support her out in the sun, where we can't go," Henry pleaded with his mother.

'If I'm allowed to go out of the house at least.' Junko thought dejectedly. When she caught Ren's gaze from the other side of the room, she couldn't keep a grin away from her face.

"You'll come to regret all of this," Elda said, returning the serious mood to the two lovers. "But the most important problem is Karin. How much more blood will she be able to lose before her body gives out? … Cecilia?"

Everybody followed Elda's gaze towards Anju, and then glanced back to Elda who started to mumble in herself about how much she used to hate that woman.

"Are you talking about my mother?" Carrera demanded.

"I suppose that's the reason James didn't want to tell me where he had found a bride for our son at the time. If there is an answer to be found, we might as well start with the Armash clan. They were a clan of vampires hidden by the vampire elders for some reason. They never did say why. I happened to encounter Cecilia two hundred years ago," She turned back to Carrera with her usual vigor. "So why the hell did James bring you into my family, Carrera Armash?"

"How would I know?" Carrera asked, her look spelling utter confusion.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Armash!" Elda lashed out.

"Stop calling me by my maiden name!" the woman clad in red retorted to her mother-in-law.

"James is dead, and I sure as hell don't know anything about Karin, but if this has something to do with the Armash blood then Cecilia would know. So go on, get going. Pay your mother a visit," Elda suggested with only a hint of maliciousness.

Carrera stared at one of her most bitter enemies for a long time, before consenting with a sigh. "I suppose that is the best way to go. Ren, take care of your sister. Junko, I expect you to act as the woman of the house in my absence. Don't let Karin know what's going on."  
Carrera stormed out of the room, followed by her husband who pleaded with her to consider her actions for just a moment.

Junko watched the proceedings with a worried look, not in the least because with Carrera gone she had now lost one ally against Elda. The older vampire noticed her look, because she tapped Junko's cheek with a single finger. "Don't worry too much, Junko-chan. I'll be going to sleep."

This was met with surprise from her grandchildren and Junko. Elda continued without listening too much. "I've done some horrible things to Karin, and going to sleep is the easiest way to give things some cooling room. But don't worry dearies, I won't be too long. After all, Henry isn't too reliable and I'm worried about Karin. So I'll be up again soon."

She grabbed Junko in a forceful hug, stroking the young woman's long hair. "Don't fret too much Junko-chan. I'll make sure to visit you after checking up on Karin when I wake up again."


	20. Found?

|Maaka Residence|

Junko washed the rest of the dishes after having helped Karin prepare her bento for school. At the same time both women had made most of the preparations for dinner. Karin being such a great cook was really something Junko could appreciate. She was fairly decent at cooking, but not in any way a genius like the extraordinary vampire.

Both of them looked up when the door to the kitchen opened, revealing Anju who walked in in her usual lethargic way. Karin seemed to be especially surprised to see her sister this early in the morning. "Anju, good morning! It's so sunny today I didn't think I would see you."

Outside was indeed one of those late winter days that had adapted the guise of a brilliant spring day. Junko closed the drapes a little, shielding the kitchen from the morning sun. It had been less than a week since Carrera had left and Elda had gone back to sleep, but things in the house went at a much easier pace. If it hadn't been for Henry missing his wife so terribly – and making a huge fuss about his eldest daughter – things might have gone so relaxed Junko could have mistaken it for a vacation.  
Now she sent the youngest Maaka sibling a gentle smile, reaching for a cup of hot ginger tea. "Good morning, Anju-san."

Anju greeted them both, her sister a little warmer than her brother's girlfriend. "Could I have some breakfast too? I'll be going to school today," She announced, sending Karin in a positive outburst of surprise.

"This is unexpected. I didn't think you cared much about your classes," Karin mumbled, hurrying to make something delicious for her sister. Junko already knew the type of tea the young girl preferred, opening the can of Darjeeling to make her some. Meanwhile Anju seemed to be studying her sister.

"Does it seem like I don't care about school? Or anything?" she inquired, sounding as if she were discussing the latest weather report.  
Junko let the two sisters chat, before Anju seemed to choke on the tea she had just given her.

"Anju, are you okay?" she asked, patting the young girl on the back. The silver-haired teen seemed to be thoroughly shaken, seeming even more pale than usual. Despite that, a flush spread on her cheeks as she looked at Karin in a panic.

"Don't worry. It just went down the wrong pipe," She murmured, before saying that she should probably change into a fresh dress.

"I've never known you to be clumsy Anju," Karin said, twiddling her fingers.

"I am related to you, after all," Anju said out loud before leaving the room.

"That's mean!" Karin yelled, before she suddenly grabbed Junko. "She choked on her tea when I was asking her about the boy that took her to the zoo! What if she has a crush on him?"

Junko gently removed herself from Karin's grip, patting the younger woman on the head. "If Anju has a crush, I don't see a problem. After all, you are also dating someone. And crushes you have when you're twelve years old generally aren't that serious Karin-chan."  
Karin kept biting her nails, looking at the door through which Anju had left nervously. With a gentle hand Junko led her towards it. "And it's almost time for you both to leave for school. Go grab your bags so you'll be ready to leave."

As she watched the brunette run up the stairs, Anju once again descended. Whatever one would say, the young girl sure was a quick dresser. Junko held up her lunchbox with a big grin. "I have your lunchbox right here!"

"Thank you," Anju said simply, accepting the packed lunch and slipping it in her schoolbag. They waited in silence for Karin, with Junko sneaking a peek to see how Anju was doing now after the tea incident. When Anju caught on, she lifted an eyebrow to know what Junko was up to.

"I just thought… you seem a little bit distressed. If you're getting sick, please let me know. I don't know much about vampire illnesses, but I'm sure I can study up on the matter," Junko offered, trying to appear as if she was a capable adult. Truth be told, she had never had to look out for kids so she wasn't sure she would be able to handle someone getting sick at this moment. Then again, the way Anju acted she seemed more like an adult than a child.

"I'm not sick," Anju said, before turning back to the stairs. They could already hear Karin stampeding down the stairs. No matter how cute the girl looked, she had all the grace and tact of a herd stampeding buffaloes.

"Have fun at school, you two!" Junko yelled, waving as the two girls walked away. Karin turned back to wave back, while Anju merely turned her back to give a slight nod as acknowledgement. When Junko turned back to the house, she was happy she would be able to get back to work as well.

She looked back at the house as she went on her way as well half an hour later. Despite its creepy and slightly run-down appearance, she had come to appreciate it as a second home. Or well, her only home for now, since she had no apartment to immediately return to. She let out a shrill whistle, calling little Genji to hover over her.

"Hey little guy. It's another work day, so be sure to stay near me, okay?" she said. Even if Ren had given her the bat to protect her, so far she hadn't encountered a single one of her father's men. All things considering, even without the current developments between her and Ren, moving to the Maaka residence had been just the thing she needed.

She took a quick sip of water, before hurrying over to the bus station. Today really did look like it would be a hot day. She checked her cellphone to see what the day's schedule was supposed to be. "Karin-chan will be studying with her boyfriend today… and Ren will be picking up his little sister. So all I should do after work is pick up groceries." Sadly enough she couldn't get blood packets from her friend anymore. Apart from the risk they would be found out, Misako had recently gotten a raise which meant she didn't need the extra money anymore. Junko didn't know any other people at the hospital and things seemed to be working out just fine at the moment.

"Miss Junko?" A man's voice sounded to her right. When she looked to the side, she could see that the voice belonged to a young man in his early twenties who had an easy smile on his face. In his left earlobe he was wearing a tiny gold stud while there was a thin golden necklace visible from his slightly unbuttoned shirt. "Thank goodness it's you, I was so worried it was somebody else," The man said, grabbing her hand to shake it.

"Excuse me?" she asked confused. She had never seen this man before, of that she was certain. It vaguely looked like someone had broken his nose once, but despite that he could be seen as fairly attractive.

"Ah, forgive my manners. My name is Saitou Rei, and I work for your father. He misses you something awful."

Junko felt the ground drop from beneath her at those words. The man kept smiling at her in a friendly manner, as if he had not said the words she had dreaded to hear most. "You work for my father?"  
After he nodded, Junko immediately turned to run away. The man grabbed her by the arm, stopping her in her action.

"Please do not run away from me, miss Junko," He said, sounding less pleading than he should have. "I'm only here because your father wanted to speak with you. Please do me a favor and come with me. I will take you to him." He started to drag her away from the bus stop as he took a cellphone from his front pocket.

Junko placed her hand on the cellphone, attempting him to stop him in his actions. At the same time she screamed for Genji to help her. With tiny squeaks the vampire bat flew into the man's face. Luckily there was nobody else on the isolated street, or this would have gotten stranger by the minute. Genji's speed made Saitou fall backwards, leaving his phone in Junko's hands.

The bat started to glow golden, before it fell from Saitou's face with a weary squeak. Junko picked him up, looking down at the man who had somehow found her. When he started to groan she jumped in the bushes quicker than anybody would have guessed possible.  
"Uhn… my head," He grumbled, before getting up. He dusted of his clothes, looking around to see what had caused him to fall on the ground. As he looked at the bus stop he let out a clearly disappointed sigh. After that he walked away, hands in his pockets.

Junko looked down at the bat and phone in her hands. If Genji hadn't been here, he would have taken her to see her father. Her father wouldn't hurt her per se, but he would see it as her best interests to be kept indoors until she complied with his wishes. Which could be forever and he would still consider it worthwhile. She let out a shaky breath of air, counting to two hundred before she climbed out of the bushes onto the street.

She was just in time to catch the bus. Once seated she let her head rest against the window. What was she going to do? She didn't have the money to get a car, and she could hardly take a taxi to her work every single day. Even working out of the building and just taking pictures was become more hazardous with every single day.  
She peered in her handbag. Even if Ren had told her it was a bad idea, she thought it would be best for the bat if he could rest a bit. The animal seemed to have gone to sleep, not reacting when she looked at it. When the cellphone started to ring, she grabbed it, startled.

"Saitou! You should have called five minutes ago man! You'd better not be slackin' off, or else the boss will kill ya! Find anything out?" the voice on the other side of the phone sounded like they were bored out of their mind most of the time, happy to get a chance to shout at someone for a change.

"Uh, yeah man," Junko replied, lowering her voice as best as she could. "Didn't find anything there. Wouldn't surprise me if that chick left the city by now."

"Ugh, Saitou, your voice sounds funky dude. Those late shifts clearly aren't doing you any good. I'll change you to a daytime roster instead. Just be sure to treat me to some booze in return. I'll let you go now, I know you're dying to catch some sleep. Later Saitou."

Junko grumbled something unintelligible in return, before looking at the cellphone as if it was a poisonous viper. How many men were looking for her? How much longer would she be able to evade them?  
"At this rate I might as well find a nice coffin for myself because there's no way I'll be able to go out alone," She sighed in desperation, banging her head against the window.

|Evening|

"I'm home," She yelled. No reply came immediately, but she could hear talking coming from the living room. Her work day had been stressful, thanks to some problems with the printing department and her new boss giving her a hard time for being late- again! It wasn't her fault her life was filled with vampires and mobsters. She would gladly get rid of the latter group.

"What's going on?" she asked, bumping into Karin as she was just making her way out of the room.

"Mom is in bed with vampire flu!" Karin cried out in a panic.

Junko raised her eyebrows at Henry in that universal code that meant 'really, that's the best you could come up with?'.

This of course prompted Henry to walk up to his daughter, talking to her earnestly. "It's a very bad flu, Karin. It could kill young vampires like you and Anju. That's why mother has been staying in her coffin and drinking lots of good blood to get better soon."

Junko rolled her eyes at that. Surely there was no way that-

Karin fell into her father's arms. "Then I'll just wait for mommy to get better."

So apparently there was a reasonable chance of that lie working out for Henry. Who could have guessed? Though the fact they were related probably had something to do with it.

Henry stroked Karin's hair, telling her what a good girl she was. When the phone started ringing Karin picked up before Henry could react.  
"MOM? I thought you were in bed with vampire flu."

Junko let herself drop in the sofa. The father of the household could save himself out of this mess. If he had just told Karin that Carrera had been called out on urgent family business or something, but no, he had to invent a deadly vampire flu.

Karin nodded at the phone. "Yes… no I was just worried about you. Okay, I'll give you daddy." She handed the phone over to her father, looking at Junko in that sweet, confused way of her. Junko motioned for her to come over, giving her a poke in the forehead as she did so.  
"What's that for?" Karin asked.

"For being so cute and clueless," Junko replied.

They tried to ignore Henry being overly emotional at the phone until Karin couldn't stand it anymore. She left the room, saying she still had some homework to do. As Henry also made clear to Junko that she should get out of the room, she complied.

She entered the main hallway just as Anju and Ren had come back home. "Welcome back," She said softly. "Your mother finally called, she's talking with your father just now. It sounded pretty serious from what I heard."

"He'll tell us soon enough if we need to hear it," Ren said, casting a glance on his little sister before reaching his hand to stroke Junko's cheek. Even if he didn't say it out loud, that gesture clearly showed he had been thinking about her.

"If you want to be so affectionate with Junko-san I see no reason you should be so on your guard when I was talking with a class mate," Anju said softly. Ren turned to her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," He answered in the tone of voice people use when they know exactly what the other is talking about. "And besides, he's just a human, who should stay away from my sister."  
Apart from showing that he did know what Anju had referred to, it also earned him a poke in the ribs from his human girlfriend. "Not that it would be okay if the kid was a vampire," He added, which earned him a nod from Junko.

Anju showed a faint smile at their antics. "I see. If that is all, I will be going to my room. I'm tired."

Junko ran a hand through her long hair as she watched Anju walk up the stairs. She waved a finger at Ren. "Honestly, if your little sister has a crush on someone you should just let her. It's just like I told Karin-chan, it's hardly ever serious at that age."

Ren put a hand around her shoulders, walking with her towards the kitchen. "It's not that I would mind if she liked him, it's just that the kid is obviously head over heels with her. And she's just using him if it gives her a chance to spy on Karin, so there is no harm whatsoever in my giving the boy a hard time."

Junko threw her hands up in the air at the vampire logic. "Well, as long as everything will be okay with her, I don't really mind. More importantly, I should thank you for sending Genji with me."

"Who?" he asked, suspicious to hear a male's name out of her mouth. He had only recently come to terms with Morii's existence, and that was because there was no way Morii would ever hit on a girl.

"Genji, the bat you gave me," she said blinking. Ren didn't believe in naming his bats because there were so many of them, even if he was more adept at distinguishing them from one another than she was. "One of my father's men found me today, and Genji took him right out."

Ren frowned when he heard that, letting out a faint hiss. "Those guys… it's great that you managed to escape, but to think that they managed to get so close to you." He started to bite the nail on his thumb with a face that spelled thunder and war as he sat down on one of the kitchen chairs.

Junko slipped into his lap, surprising him. She took advantage of the opportunity to take away his hand from his mouth – even if he was a guy, there was no reason he should be biting his nails – and give him a gentle kiss. "It's okay. They didn't take me away. Though it is going to be hell getting from and to my job. I managed to get my boss to give me some work that can be done at home, but that'll only last me until the end of the week."

Ren huffed, though her gentle administrations were started to have their effect on him. Already the dark scowl on his face was disappearing, though the little crease of worry in his forehead was not so easily tamed. "Well then… guess I'll just have to keep an even closer eye on you from now on. Do you mind?"

She shook her head. "I don't mind at all."


	21. Anju's Awakening

|Maaka Residence|

Junko disentangled herself from Ren when she woke up. He groaned in his sleep, holding on to her night shirt before finally letting go with something that sounded like a tiny snore. She grinned when she heard that. And he was always claiming he didn't snore, hah.

Ever since she had told him that her father's men had found her he had been even more agitated than before. Even if he didn't say it, she was sure he had his bats checking the surroundings of the house more than once. In a way he was even more determined to stay near her than Elda had been. Though in his defense she preferred his methods of waking her up far more. And on top of that there was the 'problem' with Anju.

Ren hadn't told her anything and Anju was as silent as the grave about what was going on with her. One look at Karin and it was obvious she was completely unaware of anything that went on. And she wasn't so sure she should talk to Henry about something that was very clearly Anju's business, those were her thoughts as she walked down the stairs. She'd found some pajama pants, walking down dressed as if she were in her own home. Since she would be able to work from here out there was no need to get up early. Though it had meant she had missed breakfast with the Maaka sisters.

Or at least one of them. Junko blinked when she encountered Anju on the way down. Dressed prim and proper like always, the girl gave her the same look as always, though this time it was mixed with a small smile.

"Good morning," Anju greeted softly.

Junko quickly checked the clock. She had thought it was later than it actually was. "Good morning, Anju-san. What are you doing up so early? Are you going to school again today?"

It had been made clear to Junko that even though Henry encouraged a human upbringing in his children, the older they became the less they were able to bear the sun. Even young Anju experienced terrible headaches on hot days, in combination with faint spells like Karin experienced after more excessive blood loss. It was unusual for the girl to have gone to school every day of the new semester.

"… Yes," Anju replied.

"Listen, you human cow, ya gotta stop Anju. She's doing stupid things for the sake of that stupid sister of hers," Bge interrupted, flailing wildly in Anju's arms.

Anju frowned. "I'll leave you at home if you behave like that, Bge-kun," She threatened, arching a thin eyebrow.The doll indeed stopped his thrashing and flailing about, even somehow seeming remorseful about what was going on. Junko frowned.

"Anju-san, I know I'm not a vampire, and I don't have any business with this. But still, I have come to care for your family! So please, if there is anything I can do, please ask me for help," She offered.

Anju looked up at the woman in surprise, before considering her offer. Perhaps she could be something like the Kenta boy for now? Though her big brother was sure to make a scene if he found out that Anju used Junko to still be able to move in the daytime more easily.

"Could you walk me to school today?" she finally requested. "And then pick me up again, if that's okay?"

Junko nodded, for some reason happy that her offer of help had been accepted. "Of course. I'll go get dressed. Be back down in ten minutes."

As soon as Junko had left, Bge started to wiggle in Anju's arms again. "I'm not blaming ya for trying to stay in the sun much longer. But if you stay out too long again today, you're gonna faint again. Even if it's for the sake of that idiotic sister of yours, there's only so much you can take."

Anju grimaced at the idea. Her transformation was beginning, but for now she could only hold on for as long as possible. Before her sister was trapped alone in the day world for the rest of her life.

|After School|

Junko hummed a tune as she picked out a cooled drink for Anju. The girl had felt like she was burning up even though the spring sun was still pale at this time of year. She had figured that something cold to drink might be the best way to perk the girl up.

"Anju-san, I brought some strawberry milk and a kiwi cooler. Please take whichever one you like best, since…" her voice trailed off as she saw the Tachibana girl standing near Anju. She could just hear the last part of her sentence.

"… or you'll get a nasty burn."

Junko frowned, setting both her feet apart as she looked at the girl with one eyebrow raised – a look she had been trying to copy from Anju since the first time she had seen it. It seemed to work, since the girl shrunk back in response.

"Wha-what? What's with that yakuza look you've got going on, huh?" Yuriya asked, clearly not comfortable with Junko's appearance.

Junko handed Anju the strawberry milk with a gentle smile, before glaring right back at Yuriya. "I will not have anyone threaten a member of the Maaka family," She made clear, folding her arms over one another as she did so. Her own kiwi drink was on the bench behind her, clearly forgotten. "If you're going to be spouting threats at anyone, don't do it at them."

Yuriya let out a shaky laugh. The woman wasn't going to pick a fight with her in the middle of the day, was she? "Look, I was just talking with Anju about her awakening as a vampire, that doesn't mean…"

"Just like you talked to Karin about how the children of a human and a vampire are infertile," Junko added. That bit of information had sent Karin into a wailing mess of despair for a few days, even leading her to interrogate Junko about her feelings on the subject. Junko had, quite honestly, replied that at the moment the thought of children couldn't be further of her mind. "If you have nothing better to do than annoy people with maybe's and could have's you might want to spend some time honing other skills."

"Oh yeah, like what?" Yuriya asked, not happy at being talked to like this.

"Running," Junko said. "You see, miss Elda has been teaching me a lot of useful tricks, and I promised her I'd practice. So if you won't leave Anju-san alone, I might pick you as a practice partner."

At the mention of Elda's name the blood drained from Yuriya's face. Junko's guess had been correct, Elda was known and feared throughout the vampire community. The young girl started to back away from the woman, observed by Anju as she did so. "You wouldn't. There's no way you would."

This time Junko mimicked one of Elda's laughs. It was a good thing she had had the opportunity to observe them so often or it wouldn't have gone half as good. That was enough to send Yuriya reeling away, without so much as a goodbye. Junko watched her run away with a pleased smirk on her face. If anybody was thinking about picking on Ren's younger sisters they had another thing coming.

"Well, that showed her," She said, sitting down. Of course she had forgotten about her kiwi drink, spilling it on her shorts as she did so. Suppressing a row of swear words a twelve-year old shouldn't hear she retreated to the public restroom of the park. At least the Tachibana girl hadn't seen her doing that, or her intimidation attempt would have been laughable.

When she returned five minutes later she could see Anju walking towards her with deliberate steps, her umbrella still shielding her from the sun. In her hands she held a crumpled paper. "We're leaving," The girl announced, her silver hair slightly glinting in the sunlight.

"Anju-san, are you alright?" Junko asked in surprise. Anju took her by the shirt, leading her away from the bench they had been sitting on.

"I am fine," She replied, a sort of strain still managing to sound through her voice. "Some people are annoying me, that's all."

The girl wobbled for a second, but regained her senses before she had to be supported by the mortal.

"Anju-san, I-"

"Anju," The girl said. "You should call me Anju, from now on. You stepped in on my behalf, like my brother would have done."

After that the girl ignored any attempt Junko made at talking, simply keeping quiet as she marched home with a steady pace. All the while she kept her parasol in such a way that the sun's rays could never cast their rays on her.

|That Evening|

Junko finished the last touches on the picture she had to edit when a door slammed shut on the floor below her. She startled, nearly deleting her work out of fear. Clearly something was going on. With a sigh she rubbed her temples. Should she go and check it out? Hadn't she been meddling enough for the day already? It wasn't her job to get involved with the family business this much.

With a guilty look she glanced towards the tomes that had been collecting on her desk. She and Henry had been going through them in her spare moments when she wasn't working or out running errands. Today she had barely made any progress. But then again, if the residents were in trouble right now, shouldn't she help them out?

With a curse she went out of her room towards Anju's. It had sounded like it came from her direction, though she couldn't be sure. She knocked on the door, gently so she wouldn't come off as a concerned mother.  
"Anju-sa… Anju? Are you in there?"  
Another knock.   
"Anju, are you okay?"

Someone gave her a light tap to the side of her head. With an annoyed frown Junko gazed up at Ren. "What was that for?"

"That kid isn't in her room anymore," He said softly. "She probably went outside to cool off a little bit."

"Is it because she's becoming a full vampire?" Junko asked.

Ren eyes widened. "How do you know that?" he asked. He had obviously been thinking it was one of the best kept secrets in the house.

"I heard Tachibana saying something that Anju should be careful not to get herself burned. I kind of jumped to conclusions from there on out," Junko confessed, before telling Ren the story as far as she knew.

"Tjeh, that girl. Good thing I wasn't around when she was picking on Anju, or I would have shown her something else. Though you did pretty good too," He admitted, looking at her with respect.

Junko shrugged, lifting her hands next to her in a show of victory. "What can I say, I'm a natural talent." She ignored Ren muttering something that sounded remarkably like 'demon woman' and continued. "But I am worried about your sister. Isn't twelve a bit early to be an adult already?"

Ren let out a sigh, before motioning her away from Anju's door. The last thing the girl needed was to hear two adults discussing her problems while she could hear it. "It's early, but she's always been extremely strong. Nobody can control the bats like she can, for one example."  
He seated himself in the chair his grandmother always used when she came to observe Junko in her room. His eyes seemed to attempt to pierce a hole in the wall as he talked and thought at the same time. "The real problem is Karin slipped her some spicy food just now. One of our weakest moments is when we are about to awaken so this will really cause her some problems."

"When do you think she'll… you know?" Junko asked, taking one of the books from the pile on her desk.

"With those symptoms? Before the week is over," Ren said without thinking twice.

Junko looked down at the book, saddened. From what she had seen, Anju was extremely attached to her older sister. To lose her ability to be near her sister, to protect her… she had been a younger sister as well, and now her sister was dead. Though it wasn't really comparable with what she had been through, perhaps she should have a talk with Anju later on. For safe measures, she would be sure to slip Anju her own phone number first thing the girl returned.

|The Next Evening|

Of course Anju hadn't called her when she had gotten in trouble. Independent as she was, she had tried to fight her way out of it herself, and lost. Junko stood in the opening of the door as she watched the young girl cry out, comforted by her older brother. Henry was in the room as well, as distraught with the situation as everyone else was.

"Congratulations, huh?" Henry asked. Apparently Karin had congratulated Anju in an attempt to be nice, which had backfired sadly. "That's unfortunate," He added after a pause.

Junko's look crossed Ren's for a second, and she gave a curt nod. For now she would go back to her room and read a little bit in the old books. After a while she'd come back to check on the situation. Before she entered her room she considered going to Karin's room, to check how she was dealing with the situation. Then she shook her head. In the end she and her sister had always made up between themselves after a rough patch. The Maaka sisters would have to go through the same thing.

Though in the end that didn't stop her two hours later when she opened Anju's door. Ren let out a sigh of relief. "I need to go to the bathroom for a second, Anju. I'll be back in a moment."

Anju let him go with a look that was the dictionary definition of sadness. With a sob the newly awakened vampire let herself fall back on a pillow. When Junko threw Ren a questioning look the older vampire shrugged. Did it look like he had a manual to deal with two over-sensitive sisters?

Junko sat herself down on the bed, next to Anju's crying form. Everywhere in the room, dolls were watching the pair of them. Junko spotted the stuffed bear she had gotten Anju on the second shelf, looking very innocent among the rest of the girl's collection. Some of the eyes in the room glistened a bit too knowingly to be comforting.

Hesitating, she stroked Anju's long hair with one hand. It didn't seem to bring about any change, for good or for bad, so she continued. "Anju… I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry for you," she mumbled. She didn't think it was pity the girl wanted, and it wasn't pity she was offering. Just a very well-meant feeling of being sorry for her loss.

"She didn't mean it. She just thought that… that you would be happy for becoming an adult," Junko continued. Between her and her older sister, Junko had gone in a flying fit when her sister hadn't wanted to come with her on a vacation. Angered she'd gotten on the plane, before giving up after two days and returning home to apologize to her sister. Three months later she'd been dead.

"I'm not…" Anju sobbed. Junko decided to risk it, slipping one arm around the girl, lifting her up from her lying position. Before Anju could protest, Junko had the girl's head firmly nestled against her collarbone.

"Cry. Keep crying. You need to get all of that out of you," she said. Anju continued crying, not because she wanted to obey but because right now her mind need an outlet. Her thin arms wrapped around Junko, who was a poor substitute for the person she really wanted with her now.

Junko kept stroking the girl's head, ignoring the looks the dolls were giving her. "That's it. Don't stop crying. Just keep crying for as long as you can. You don't need to be strong right now."  
When her sister and mother had been killed, Junko hadn't come out of her room for a week. After that had been her first run-away from her father.

She made encouraging sounds, trying to support Anju's more violent hiccups as she continued to cry. Junko felt tears of her own coming up at this genuine show of distress but forced them back. This was Anju's turn to cry, and hers alone.  
"Being the little sister is tough," She murmured. She could see Ren peering through the crack of the door. He didn't want to disturb them but it was obvious that he at the same time wanted to be near his sister at this point. With a small flicker of her eyes Junko urged him in the room.

"It's never easy, protecting someone," Junko continued. "But it's okay to stop fighting, just for today. Just for a little while."  
Anju started to wail even harder at that. "You're not weak, Anju. You've been fighting so hard this entire time. Let us protect you, for a little while."

Ren knelt down beside them on the bed, stretching his arms out for Anju. The girl immediately responded, wrapping her arms around her big brother's neck. Junko ignored the wet stain on her shirt as her eyes followed the movement. She gave a last touch to Anju's shoulder before mouthing good night to Ren.

Outside the door she found that she was shaking. It had been so long since she had seen someone cry so earnestly. So long since she had found her heart breaking for someone else's distress. With a shudder she straightened her shoulder, making her way to her own room. She still had a date with some dusty books that needed to be inspected. She tried her utter best to not hear the wails coming from Anju's room.


	22. Spirit of Psyche

|Maaka Residence|

Junko quietly submerged her head in the western-styled tub for a moment, letting the warm water envelop her completely. If it hadn't been for Ren drinking from her every once in a while she would have become so ridden with stress she could barely walk. Even now she felt her blood boiling in frustration.

Her new boss had forced her to take a vacation. When asked for a reason, Nakamura had simply asked her a question. "Can you explain why you are so often late? Can you explain why your work is suffering?"  
Junko had been unable to think of a pleasing answer. Of course telling them she was hunted by her yakuza father on the one side, and how she was trying to help out a family of vampires on the other hand was not an option. They would have had her in the nearest mental institute before she had been able to blink.

She came back up again, brooding in the water with her face half-submerged. If only it had been just one of those factors in her life, and not both. Of course it would be the yakuza part that had to go, since she wasn't planning on letting go of Ren. She grabbed the bar of lavender soap, running it past her arms and breasts as she tried to make sense of what was going on. Of course she wouldn't be able to know the full story until Carrera came back.

"HYAAAH!" she screamed, ducking underneath the water when the bathroom door was opened. With reflexes quicker than she was able to think, she chucked the bar of soap towards the intruder.

"Hey, take it easy!" Ren scolded her, golden eyes giving her a warning glare. The glare only lasted as long as it took him to see the position Junko was in, prompting him to lock the door. He picked up the bar of soap, passing it between his hands as he walked slowly towards her.

"Ren! Get out!" Junko tried to whisper, even if there was no chance somebody would be able to hear them. He ignored her, instead squatting next to the bath tub, still passing the bar of soap between his hands.

"But why?" he asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible. "It's not like I'm going to see anything I haven't seen before," He added, reaching out a finger, running it across her jawline.

The touch sent a first shudder through her body, and the blush on her cheeks could not be attributed to the warm bath alone. "Honestly…" she started, doing her best not to stand up and give him a piece of her mind. True, it wasn't like he was going to see anything new, but his father was in the house. And unlike their bedrooms, the bathroom was actually a place other people were in the habit of visiting. "Could you try to be more modest?" she asked meekly.

He chuckled at the request, tracing a finger along her inky hair, trailing in the water. His loving gaze was one argument she couldn't easily wave away, only sending more shudders through her. "I thought you were brushing your teeth," He confessed sheepishly. "But I'm happy I walked in anyway," He added, face as coy as she had ever seen.

Junko didn't remove her hands from her breasts, instead sending him a glare.

He draped his hands on the side of the tub, running his fingers through the warm water. "My sisters finally made up." He informed her. It had taken them a whole week, but now everything was fine again. "Meaning I'm free. Want me to wash your hair for you?"

The last question surprised her, causing her to rise slightly from the water. "What?"

He closed his eyes slightly, giving off the impression of a cat that could start purring at any given moment. "Now that I'm here, I could make myself useful," He said slowly, almost caressing every word he spoke. She rolled her eyes up at the ceiling, hearing herself consenting with his idea. The things this man could make her do…

Junko relaxed as his fingers massaged her scalp. Ren did a better job than the warm water could ever have done by itself. As he worked he informed her with snippets of information about the current state of things, and just talking about things in general. They were just in a casual discussion about which type of music they found most agreeable when Ren's hands started to slip across her neck, to her shoulders.  
"Ren… Ren," Junko spoke his name a lot faster when his hands traveled to her breasts. For one he was soaking his sleeves by going this far in the water.

"As if I care about wet clothes, Junko," He whispered in her ear. As he pressed a kiss against her temple his hands casually gave a slight, teasing pinch. "I just missed you so much this week," he continued, this time pressing a kiss on her cheek.

With a gasp she turned in the bath, causing the water to slosh about. She ran a wet finger across Ren's lips, trying to seem as stern as possible. Which was harder than it looked with his hands traveling further below water level.  
"I was taking this bath to get clean," She told him, sweetly, before pressing a light kiss on his lips. He gave her a succession of smaller ones, raising his hands once again above water level to her sudden disappointment.

"Got room for one more?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow. Junko cast a quick glance at the bath tub. It was big, but not really that big.

"It's going to be a squeeze," She told him. He pressed a quick kiss on her wet nose, already undoing his tie.

"We'll manage."

|A Few Hours Later|

Junko pinned up her long, damp hair, ignoring Ren who was looking far too pleased with himself as he was lying on her bed. At least he had the decency to wear underpants in her room, instead of waltzing around naked. She suppressed the thought about how that was a pity, putting her hands against her face. The things he did to her mind were unbelievable.

"With a little luck things will be calming down soon," Ren spoke up, looking at her with a look that suggested he could really go for a round three. Junko tapped a finger on the ever-present stack of books, placing her reading glasses on her nose. He let out a dissatisfied groan, instead lying on his back. Junko ignored him, opening up a book to continue her research. If it was up to him, love-making would be their only activity.

Ren turned back on his stomach, looking at his girlfriend. His actual, steady girlfriend. This he had never seen coming, and sometimes he still had to pinch himself to be sure that it was actually happening. Not that he regretted a second of it. Perhaps, if they had been less blind towards each other, they would have gotten together even sooner.

He let his eyes devour every line of her as he studied her profile. The towel she had wrapped around her covered too much of her intimate features, but he hummed a satisfied tune as his eyes traced over her shoulders and arms. Even the love bites he had left were perfect, because they were on her body. He hadn't had the time to study her for a week now, and he felt like he needed to re-etch every contour of her in his mind.

Junko. His Junko. And to hell with any other man who thought they could claim her, including her own father. Sharing her was not a topic on his agenda. He was even prepared to face his grandmother for her, and the gods knew what sacrifice that was. He had even learned to appreciate those reading glasses on an entirely new level, he mused as he traced one of the love bites she had left on him.

A knock came on the door, startling Junko. Ren shrugged, getting off the bed to open up the door. With his father never wanting to disturb Junko ever since he knew she and his son were dating, Elda too impatient to deal with something as mundane as a closed door, and his mother out of town, the only other candidates were his sisters.

"Anju," He said, looking down on his little sister. She looked up with that kind of vague smile that insinuated she was going to say something he didn't like.

"Big brother. I hope I didn't disturb you with Junko," She said softly. Ren followed her gaze to one of the love bites on his arm, not bothering to cover up. They had to learn how the world worked, and at least this way they would be less likely to get tricked by some horny bastard. Or at least Anju wouldn't be tricked. Karin was another case.

"You didn't," he said, not adding that Anju would probably have known if she was interrupting. Privacy was very scarce in this house as of late.

"Good." Anju cast a quick look down the stairs. "Grandmother is awake again. We're waiting for mama to arrive downstairs, so the two of you should join us when you can. Papa was just able to stop grandmother from coming up here," she confided in her big brother.

Closing his eyes Ren sent a mental thank you to his father. Elda knowing about them dating was another thing than her knowing they were sleeping together. Not that they weren't careful, but he preferred to be able to prepare for that specific battle. "Thanks Anju. See you in a second."

|Downstairs|

Junko tried to stay away from Elda as well as she could, which was hard since the woman seemed to be determined to somehow lay claim to her, no matter how she was seated. After Elda had nearly crawled over her own son to get to Junko, she had finally accepted her fate. Now Elda was combing out her hair, an act which could be treated as gentle or as threatening. With Elda holding the comb things could go either way.

Henry had tried to stop his mother, but nobody was able to stand up to her. But apparently Anju had mentioned Junko sticking up for her in the park, temporarily putting her back in with the woman's good graces. After the added promise that her closet was still to Elda's disposal, the woman had been even less likely to rip Junko a new one. Being treated as a pet was unfortunate, but a lot better than being on the menu card.

At least the 'gentle' treatment had ended when Carrera arrived, directing Elda's slightly malicious endearment towards her daughter in law. Junko escaped with just a few hairs being yanked out as Elda stood up in a fury at seeing her son man-handled so soon after Carrera's arrival.

Junko was surprised by how young Carrera looked with her hair down. Gone was the stern looking wife of the family. Her hair being down subtracted at least five years of her physical age, leaving Junko speechless. Being grabbed in a loving embrace right after Anju also added to her general stupor. Being away from her family for such a long time clearly had had a big impact, as was demonstrated when Carrera even thanked her mother in law very profusely.

"You're grateful? Bah, it's too late to get on my good side!" the eldest vampire of the group threatened from behind the chair where she had sought refuge. Junko had never thought she'd live to see the day where Elda was flustered.

"Oh, you're embarrassed? How cute!" Carrera said, laughing sweetly. If Junko hadn't known any better, she would have thought the actions were caused by a sunstroke.

They listened as Carrera told them what had been waiting for her as she had returned home. Her mother Cecilia had only recently passed away, and her father Daniel had decided to follow her in her death. Carrera had only just in time arrived to find her father dying, able to tell her what she needed to know to protect Karin. Junko and Ren both leaned in to hear better what the conclusion of the tale was.

"It would seem that Karin is something called 'the fountain of Psyche, or 'pistis Sophia'. Psyche means soul, and the blood that Karin releases… is her life itself," Carrera finally said, wrapping her arms around herself. She seemed so much younger than her years, her hair down and a sad look on her face. "For vampires, who struggle to reproduce in this day and age, Karin is like a fountain of life. Her blood will allow others to conceive more easily. But when that blood is gone…"

Everybody in the room had a sudden grim look on them. Even Junko was carefully weighing Carrera's words, trying to see what this meant exactly. If Karin was losing blood, if she was losing her life every time she had a bloody nose… just how much life did the girl have left?

|Two Weeks Later|

Two weeks passed, and the sun was finally getting into full glory. This meant the vampires in the house had a lot less time to do their errands in. Even though they now had Junko who could do the most important groceries, she still had to look out for her father. Henry had been so kind to up her guard of bats, as a service to his 'daughter in law'. When Ren had heard that phrase, he'd barely been able to keep from knocking his father through a wall.

Right now Junko was worried about something else. "She's been in there for two whole weeks now," she said softly to Anju. The young vampire looked at her sideways, almost surprised to hear worry in her voice.

"Are you saying you miss her?" Anju asked, a slight tone of surprise. The day she would be fully grown up was the day every man in this world would lose his chance at self-defense. With a temper like Anju's, nobody else stood a chance.

"I don't miss her. But I am worried about her. I mean, she's not exactly the youngest of the bunch." After this Junko paused for a second, fearing Elda might have heard her. When it remained quiet she continued. "Maybe hearing about Karin was such a shock for her that she decided to lock herself in the basement for now?"

It just didn't seem like Elda to pass up the chance to be able to hound Junko's every step. After the talk they all had had two weeks earlier, Elda had quickly asked Junko and Henry what they had found. Once she had heard the answer – a bitter nothing – she had retreated to the basement, doing who knew what. They hadn't heard a peep out of the woman as of then.

"It's dark out now," Anju said, turning back to the door. "I need to step out for a moment."

"Hungry?" Junko asked, smiling kindly. It was strange what you could get used to. Even vampires drinking blood became a normal aspect of daily life, if you had to deal with it for long enough.

"Something like that," Anju replied, her eyes slightly narrowing. Junko had been around the girl for long enough to know she was up to something again. With a tiny scowl she patted the small girl on the head.

"Just be careful. Both for yourself and your sister," Junko warned her.

"… Am I that easy to see through?" the question was filled with a sudden, anxious wonder.

With a laugh Junko shook her head. "Only to another younger sister. Don't worry, Anju. Your secrets are safe with me."

"It's a good thing you're with my brother. At least you won't be feeling unhappy, and make things worse for my big sister." That statement was enough to swipe the laugh from Junko's face. Of course Anju would be the one to say such blunt things without a second thought. Not for the first time she considered that Ren had had a very noticeable influence on the young girl.

"Go easy on Usui," She clarified. "It's not easy, being a human in love with a vampire. Maybe under normal circumstances, but in moments like these… cut the guy some slack, okay?"

As Karin came home only a little while later, Junko feigned ignorance at where Anju was, as did the others in the household. It wouldn't do to worry Karin. They talked a little together in the kitchen as Karin washed up her dishes.

"So, how are things between you and Usui? Since you're spending every day at his house now, this summer," Junko inquired with a sly smile. Apart from curiosity – it was only normal for her to want to know how one of Ren's siblings was faring – there was also the very real concern that the boy might suddenly become very unhappy. Junko was the only other person who they could trust who could save Karin if anything were to happen in daylight. Ren's trick when he had come to save her wasn't to be used lightly, something which Henry had only recently told her.

"Oh… well…" Karin started, twiddling her fingers together. "It's nice, being able to cook for him, and just being together," The teenager said, blushing her characteristic deep red.

Junko grabbed the girl by the shoulders, pulling her in a hug. "That's good to hear. As long as you're happy with the person you like best, everything will turn out just fine." She wiped away some of Karin's bangs, feeling some of the concern Anju must be feeling every day.

"You really think that?" Karin asked her with big eyes. 

Junko nodded, as she thought about a certain loud-mouthed vampire. "I'm pretty sure of it."


	23. To the Rescue

|Maaka Residence|

Junko sat outside, basking in the summer sun. She had pulled up her blue summer dress to her thighs, enjoying the occasional breeze. A straw hat shielded her eyes from the sun as she was reading a book. Or at least, she was trying to read it.

Normally she wouldn't have even gone outside, but she had needed some time away from the atmosphere in the house. The only one who didn't give off the vibe of a ticked-off cat was Karin. Both her parents were constantly talking things over in hushed whispers, and the bat traffic between the house and Karin's current location was to be called astounding. Even Ren gave off the impression that if something went wrong he could snap at any moment.

She slammed the heavy book shut, before banging herself against the head with it. When push came to shove, she was useless in this situation. She had none of the amazing vampire powers the others had. Her only super power was walking in the sunlight, and thanks to her forced vacation even that advantage had seen little use. Not that Ren complained, he was happy there was one less person he had to keep a watch over.

"Junko!"

Speak of the devil. Standing in the doorway, careful not to burn himself, was Ren. The fact that he was shirtless attested that he had rushed to the door after waking up.

She ran a hand through her hair, feeling how the sun had turned the inky black mass in something that felt like an oven, before running over to where Ren was waiting. He looked down at her with a dark scowl, running a finger past her cheek.  
"What were you doing outside? You're burning up," He told her, clasping his cool hands on her cheeks.

"I felt like going out for a few moments. I mean, everyone in the house is… tense," She said. Tense was an understatement, the way people were walking around gave the impression any moment somebody would snap like a spring stretched out too far.

Ren sighed, closing the door to shut the sun out. He knew exactly how much the sun would sting him if he let even a ray fall upon him. And he hadn't liked seeing Junko sitting in the sun. Sitting in the one place he would never be able to follow.  
"I was worried for a second," He mumbled, looking at her with that slightly embarrassed look she had come to know so well. It didn't last long, instead being replaced with his trademark scowl as he looked behind him to see if any of his family members were already awake. "Though you're right, this situation is tense."

He was kind of sorry that he couldn't pack his sister in a crate and ship her off somewhere safe, like the hidden Armash territory. When he had suggested that, Anju had given him a look that suggested she would be the first to tie up her beloved brother and leave him shriveling in the sun. And even if his grandmother wasn't bothering Junko, she wasn't exactly helping them either, remaining locked up in the basement even now.

He looked at Junko, who was smoothing down his bed hair with warm fingers. If it was the sun or just her, he didn't know, but every spot her fingers touched felt warmer. As if her fingers were sunlight made solid, she sent a shiver through his body.  
"Say, I've been thinking…" he started, wrapping one arm around her waist. Her body molded into his as she stopped her organizing of his hair, instead wrapping her hands around the back of his neck.

"Hmm?" she nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"Once we get Karin safe… once we're sure she's safe… maybe we should make that trip that you were talking about before. You know, see a bit of the world?"

Junko felt her mouth forming an 'o' as she thought about this suggestion. "But… I already said I didn't want to leave Japan anymore. That was my sister's dream." She didn't tell Ren that she had dreamt about her sister for a few weeks. But even now that her sister no longer visited in her dreams, she still knew that she was doing the right thing, helping out Ren's family.

Ren shook his head. "Even so, it was also your dream for all those years. And I know you decided to help us out, and I appreciate that but… well… I want to help you make your dream true. I don't care where I have to go, Junko. I don't care where I am, as long as it's by your side."

"Ren…" she said softly. Her fingers stroked the back of his neck, sometimes playing with some longer strands of hair as her deep brown eyes looked up at him. "That sounds lovely," She admitted. She had always accounted for having to be alone when she would eventually go overseas, and the sudden thought that Ren would be by her side was enough to make her heart gallop in her chest.

"We'll go in winter," He told her, pressing a kiss on her forehead. She still leant against him, fitting against his body in a way that he never could have imagined. "That way the nights will be at their longest. We'll go see those museums you wanted to see, all of them." He pressed a kiss on her nose, grinning as he did so. Once he'd gotten the idea, he had become almost obsessed with it. "There's no way the business with Karin won't be resolved by then. We'll be able to go without having to worry they'll call us back."

She couldn't believe it. She and Ren, alone. It almost sounded like a dream. She pressed her lips against his, smiling contently. "What a wonderful idea." He grinned like a teenage boy, obviously happy that she was pleased with his plan. "Just wonderful." She sighed, pressing her head against his chest.

The thought still made her feel butterflies in her stomach when she was in the store a few hours later, doing her groceries. Outside of the store were the obligatory bats keeping a careful watch on her, making sure no harm could come to her. Though at this moment the greatest of her worries was that she couldn't find the exact brand of detergent Carrera preferred.

"Hmpf, I didn't realize they were giving you a special bat guard as well." A female said behind her.

Yuriya Tachibana was giving her the evil eye as she stood there with her arms crossed over one another. Junko resisted the urge to roll her eyes at this obvious attempt at picking a fight with her. Instead she turned around, continuing her search for the detergent.

"Hey, wait!" Yuriya called out.

"If this is another one of your attempts at upsetting people, you can count me out," Junko told her, squatting down to see if perhaps here she could find the fluorescent pink bottle she needed. "As you can see, I'm currently very busy."

"I just need to talk with you," the girl said, adjusting her glasses. The fact that they were in a store didn't seem to faze her at all.

Junko suppressed the urge to snap at the younger woman, instead letting out a sigh of relief at having found the sought-after bottle. "Talk then."

"Are you still dating Ren Maaka?" the girl blurted out. Now this indeed got Junko's attention, who swiped a long strand of hair out of her face as she stood up.

"I am. Not that it's any of your business." She sensed another bout of criticism, and beat Yuriya to it. "And I already know, our children will never be able to have children. Not that us having kids is any of your concern."

Junko paced towards the register, thoroughly scaring the attendant there when she threw the money down. After receiving her change she marched towards the exit, followed on her heels by the half-vampire.

"So you would be perfectly fine with giving birth to a child with a defective body like mine?" Yuriya nearly yelled at her. Junko stopped in her tracks, momentarily clenching her fists as she considered what the girl had just said.

Instead of slapping her like she could have done, instead she jabbed a finger against the woman's chest. "Just what part of you is dysfunctional? If you can't have children, it's perfectly fine to feel bad about that. But trying to bully other people into not having children – people like Karin – is horrible. The body you have is the only one you get, so you have to make due. So stop trying to bully others in doing what you want."

She'd caught snippets about half-vampires from Elda's comments, in combination with what she had found in the books she had been reading. During the inquisition, and even on several occasions before that, humans had worked together with half-vampires to find vampires to exterminate. After that even the half-vampires had been wiped out, as a precaution. It was the reason Elda hated people like Yuriya. Junko could understand some of it. But nobody could choose the body they were born in, nor could they change the family they were born in. Being able to cope with your situation was an important aspect of growing up. And Junko had no intention of being manipulated by some brat.

"So you're going to be just fine if you happen to have a child with him, even if that child is as unnatural as me? Will you be able to love a child like that?" Yuriya shouted out. Luckily there weren't many people in the street, and the ones that were seemed determined to ignore the fight.

Junko finally slapped Yuriya, blood rushing to her cheeks out of anger. The girl started to rub her cheek, too surprised to say something.

"All children are different," Junko started. "I was always horrible at running, and I only learnt how to ride a bike when I was twelve. My sister couldn't hold her breath for longer than three seconds. My mother had a small hole in her heart, making it hard for her to do any kind of sports. My father can't boil an egg without setting the kitchen on fire." Yuriya looked at Junko, waiting for what would come next.

"And does that make us any less than other people?!" Junko lashed out, moving closer to Yuriya. "Karin can walk in the sunlight, but that doesn't make her any more or less than her brother who can't. If Ren and I have a child, we would love it without any condition put towards it. Even for normal humans, there are people who can't have children, who have to live like that, and they don't run around trying to make other people give up their love!"

Junko huffed, taking deep breaths in and out. Having children with Ren was not on the immediate agenda. No matter if he loved her, if she started about that subject any time soon she would find her boyfriend running for the hills. But even without that, a child born between them would be a child born out of a mutual love.

"I catch you trying to hurt Karin one more time with talk about her giving up on Usui, or you trying to break things up between me and Ren, I'll show you some real yakuza tricks. Are we clear?" Junko asked, placing her hands at her hips.

Yuriya remained quiet, looking at the older woman with apprehension.

"I repeat, are we clear?" Junko took another step towards Yuriya, who turned and ran for the second time.

She heard the squeaking of bats, and looked up. Two of them flapped in front of her as Genji landed on her shoulder. "Well, what was I supposed to do?" she asked the bats. "It's not like she didn't have it coming. And I was pretty bloody serious about what I said to her as well."

The bats continued chirping, moving up and down in the air. Picking up her grocery bag Junko marched back home, still feeling righteously angered about what had just transpired.

|The Next Day|

It started out as a pretty ordinary day. Most days that become deciding for a person's life start out quite ordinary. And Junko hadn't really expected anyone to try anything to harm Karin. Helpless, sweet Karin who wouldn't hurt a fly even if it was annoying her for three days straight.

She nearly tumbled out of bed when a distraught Anju burst into her room, sending Ren in a near stupor. Smoke circled from underneath her white night robe, her fangs clearly visible.

"Junko!" she yelled, all of her composure she usually carried gone. Her long silver locks were in disarray as she jumped Junko, almost attempting to pull the woman in a sweater she grabbed from a chair.

"Anju! What's going on?" A disoriented Junko asked, trying to stand on her feet as Anju was busy pulling the long-sleeved sweater over her head.

"That Tachibana woman has taken Karin!" Anju kept yelling as she continued. "On top of that, someone is killing my bats. It's light out, so I can't go to save her. Junko, you have to help my big sister." The last part was said in a pleading sob, almost a whisper after the initial yelling.

Junko felt the blood drain from her face, casting a quick glance at Ren. Shirtless he looked at his younger sister in surprise, before assessing his own bats. "Mine are still safe, for now," he mumbled. "Where are they going?" he asked Anju.

"Higashioukura station," Anju panted, turning towards her brother. Junko ignored the talk, quickly wiggling herself in a pair of pants. When she moved towards the door, Ren grabbed her hand.

'"Where are you going?" he demanded, not wanting to hear the answer.

"I'm going to look for Karin. It's best we do it now, so the trace doesn't get cold," She replied, looking up at him with a resolved air. She placed a hand gently on the side of his face. "Don't worry too much, Ren. I'm the only one here who can walk in the sun, right? I'll go get your sister. We'll be back before dinner time."

He frowned, grabbing her wrist even tighter. "I don't like you going out there alone."

She stood on her toes, giving him a soft kiss. "I'll be careful. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Ren looked at her, face twitching as if he was fighting an inner battle. Meanwhile Anju kept staring at them, mentally chiding them to hurry up with the goddamned rescuing.  
"Gah, fine!" Ren finally burst out, before wrapping his arms around Junko in a kiss that left her completely breathless. He lifted her from the ground as she wrapped her arms around him too.

"Come back tonight," He told her. She nodded, before turning around, grabbing her purse as she did so.

On her way done she grabbed the cellphone she had taken from the man that had tried to take her so many weeks ago. She hit the re-dial button, and before she was out of the door she had contact with the other side of the line.

"Listen you little shithead," The man on the other side started. "I don't know what gave you the nerve to steal one of our cellphone's but-"

"This is Junko Akane," She announced, shutting him up effectively.

"Mi-miss Akane!" the man on the other side of the line stammered. "We've been looking around all over for you, miss."

Junko halted at the bus stop, mentally swearing because she didn't own a car. "Like I give a damn about that!" Junko snapped. "You're going to look for somebody else for me now." She quickly gave a description of both Karin and Yuriya. "Tell them to start looking north from the Higashioukura station."

"Miss, I would love to do that for you, but our orders are to get you home safely. If you would be so kind as to return to your father I'm sure later we can work something out," The man on the other side of the phone pleaded with her.

"Listen, if you don't follow my orders to the letter I will go back to my father. And I'll ask him to give me the head of the idiot who couldn't follow my orders on a silver plate. Odds are he'll be so happy to have me back he'll do it, so now is the time for you to decide whether or not you want me to run back to my father, or if you're going to help me." she could practically feel the steam rising from her ears. With the summer sun slamming down on her she felt like she was boiling in her own skin.

"Yes ma'am," The person on the other side of the line said. "Will you be needing back-up, ma'am?" he requested of her.

Yeah, and then have that back-up tie her up and bring her back to her father. "Anyone who tries to approach me will find his name added to the list of people's heads I will be demanding. I just need to know where they took her, and I will be taking over from there."

More stammering, more promises. After it had been agreed she would be contacted the second they found Karin she slammed the phone shut. As the bus arrived, she got up, mentally screaming at the driver to hurry up. She had promised Ren she would be back by the time evening fell, and she wanted nothing more than to keep her promise to him.

She needed to save Karin. Nobody should be sacrificed simply because they produced blood that worked like a miracle fertility drug. And she loved the girl as if she were a little sister. If anything happened to Karin she wasn't sure if she would be able to face the Maaka family ever again.


	24. Taken

|Higashioukura Station|

Junko paused in front of the station for a few seconds, catching her breath. The sun had just started to set, meaning it would be at the very least another hour before Karin's family members would be able to join the chase. She cast a quick glance at Genji, circling above her. The little bat chirped nervously, with even the flutter of his wings seeming more erratic than usual.

The cellphone she had used to contact her father's men started to buzz. She nearly dropped the damned thing in an attempt to open it. "Hello?" she asked. "What's the news?"

"Miss Akane!" a hurried voice sounded through the speaker. It sounded as if the owner of the voice spent too much time smoking. Her suspicion was confirmed when the man had to pause for a second to cough loudly. "I found one of the girls you were describing earlier, miss," The man continued. "The one with the glasses?"

"Tachibana," Junko answered, almost sounding like Ren when he was pissed off. "Tell me where you found her."

"One of the cheaper motels ma'am, not too far from the station. They're near one of the industrial parking lots as well. If you would like, ma'am, we can have a team stationed there. As soon as they come out, we-"

"No teams," Junko replied with a sigh. Not that she wouldn't like the extra back-up, but she couldn't take the risk of being dragged back to her father. "Clear the area, I don't want anyone involved." Apart from risking being dragged back, she couldn't allow anyone to find out about vampires. She had a promise to keep to the Maaka family.

"Clear the area. That's an order," Junko repeated when the man tried to argue with her. Just to be sure she threw the cellphone in a trash can nearby, before looking up at Genji. Curling a finger she got the little squeaker to come down.

"Ren…" she started, not sure if her boyfriend was watching at the moment. "I'm going after Karin now. Just use Genji to find us, okay?" The convenience of having a tiny bat companion was that she didn't have to bother with giving directions. All she had to do was lead the way, and Ren would be able to follow everything. "I'm off. She's two stations going north from this one, so let Genji wait for me there."

If there was one thing to say about Japan's public transport, it was that it was fast and on time. Not that that mattered to Junko, she still paced her small area, waiting very impatiently to arrive. If she could have evolved transportation powers at that second, she was pretty sure she would have.

Upon arriving she was the first out of the train, to the chagrin of many business men who weren't pleased at being shoved out of the way. Looking up, she gave a thumbs-up to Genji, before rushing off towards where the informant had told her she ought to go.

If she had looked back, she would have noticed that for some reason Genji wasn't following after her.

|Maaka Residence|

Ren shot up from the sofa with a snarl, pacing towards the door without as much as a warning. Before his hand had reached for the door knob his father grabbed him by the arm.

"Let go off me," Ren warned him, trying to jerk his hand loose.

"What has gotten into you all of a sudden, Ren?" his father asked, looking surprised. Everybody in the household had finally regained their composure, realizing they could do nothing until the sun went down. At least, until Ren had gotten up so suddenly.

"Junko's bat," Ren said curtly, body still tense. As soon as he could he would try to break through the front door. "It was stopped by a barrier the moment she got off at the station. Somebody really doesn't want us to interfere, and it doesn't look like she noticed the bat's gone." He glanced towards the door, before looking back at his father. "Let me go, she needs me."

"She knows what she's doing, and if she doesn't we still have to wait until we go out. You went out into the sunlight once, but then you knew you'd be able to get into a building. Who's to say what will happen if you go out there and they kill your bats? The girl would be inconsolable if something were to happen to you," Henry returned, grabbing his son by both arms and forcing him to sit back down.

Anju looked as if she too would like nothing better than fly out of the door. The burn on her hand was a reminder to all of them what would happen if they left the house too soon. "Even if we wait here, there is a chance Junko will succeed," She said softly, even if she sounded more wishful than certain of that statement. "Call her, big brother. Ask her where she is going now."

Ren nodded, taking out his cellphone. Pretty soon they could hear a bird chirping. Surprised Carrera pulled out a cellphone from beneath her seat, holding it up to the rest of the family. "Seems like today is one of those days…" she mumbled.

|Nezukare Motel|

Junko watched the motel, hoping that the information had indeed been correct. She shouldn't have tossed away that cellphone. Reaching her hand in her pocket she realized she didn't have her cellphone with her. She suppressed the urge to let out a scream of frustration, comforting herself that Genju would still let Ren know where she was right now. True, she didn't see the little guy now, but he could be anywhere.

Now it was just a matter of finding out where that Tachibana girl had taken Karin. Chances were she had taken Karin here and was waiting for back-up to move her even further away. Just then, somebody bumped into her shoulder. Startled, Junko looked behind her.

"YOU!" both she and Yuriya yelled at each other. Before Junko could react the other threw some water bottles at her. Unharmed by those projectiles – apart from a bruise on her arm she would really be feeling in the morning – she jumped the girl.  
Growing up in a group of violent men really had the advantage a person learned a few tricks on how to keep someone else subdued. In this case Junko forced Yuriya's arm on her back, keeping her pinned on the ground like that.

"Let go of me!" Yuriya demanded.

"Sorry, can't," Junko said between gritted teeth. The girl was about as strong as an average guy. Maybe it came with the whole half-vampire thing. "You're going to bring me to Karin," She told her captive.

"Like hell I will."

"That wasn't a request," Junko informed her, yanking the half-vampire back on her feet.

They marched through the lobby, Junko positioning herself so that it would seem as if they were walking with their arms linked. When they were inside the elevator, Yuriya refused to tell her what floor they should be on. Junko remedied that by pulling up her arm a bit higher, making the girl cry out in pain.

"I already told you Elda taught me a few tricks," Junko reminded her. She tried to ply her face in the one she had seen the elder vampire make. Judging from Yuriya's reaction, she was doing quite a good job at it.

"Seventh floor," The answer came with a gasp. "Room twenty."

When they arrived Junko held out her free hand. "Okay, where's your key?" she asked.

"The door's open, okay?!" Yuriya yelled out.

Annoyed Junko shook her back and forth. "Sheesh, no need to alert the entire hallway. Keep your voice down, it's not like I'm going to hurt you." She really wasn't planning on harming the Tachibana girl. Though she wasn't sure what she did have to do with her. Ren's family would certainly want to see some justice done, but she couldn't just let the girl be killed either.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she repeated, opening the door. From the corner of her eyes she caught a flash of something black rushing towards her. She had just the time to shriek, and then her world turned very dark.

|Later, The Station|

"Look, I already told you bats can't get through here," Ren told his father. Henry's sigh sounded slightly static through the speaker. "But it looks like humans and vampires can get through if they follow a certain route." He continued. He guessed that was what Junko had done. Flexing his hand he tried to stay calm and collected. "It's going to be a pain in the ass-" he started. Maybe not that calm and collected after all. "- but it looks like it'll be the only way through."

A sudden screech nearly burst Ren's eardrums. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, KARIN HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED?!"

"Let me guess… the old hag's finally out of the basement?"

His only response was the phone being shut off, after another plea to make sure he got his sister back home safely. Ren could feel his fangs grow when he heard that semi-order. Apart from getting his bratty little sister back, there was a real good chance Junko had gotten more than she bargained for. If that had happened… well.

"Genji!" he called out. The little bat came out of the group, chirping at him. "You're in charge of communications between my parents and my bats. Got it?" The bat chirped once in reply. Ren rolled out his shoulders, before he ventured inside the barrier. There were bound to be obstacles for a vampire. But that didn't matter. All he needed to do was find Junko.

|Nezukare Motel|

When Junko woke up, the first thing she saw was Karin hovering over her with tearful eyes. The second things she saw was a short man, walking in the room. So that had been her mistake. She hadn't thought Yuriya would already have had reinforcements.

"Bwoastad," She tried to yell at him, restricted by the gag in her mouth. Karin let out a frightened cry. When Junko took a second look, she could see the girl's shirt had been ripped, and teeth marks just above her breasts. She launched out in a series of threats and curses, none of them understandable.

"Looks like it's time for us ta leave," The man said, snapping his phone shut. "Oh, she's awake," He added, casting a surprised look on Junko. "Guess we'll have ta take her with us too. There's somebody looking forward ta meetin' ya." He told Karin.

"I don't wanna go!" Karin cried out, trying to somehow crawl back into the wall, taking Junko with her. This seemed to really surprise the guy, who grabbed the girl by the wrists. Junko felt very ignored, lying on the bed, bound up.

"Hey, they said Pushuke were supposed to be very docile and gentle, so why ya gotta act up this way?" he asked her, towering over her despite his stature.

"I don't care! I'll never do what you want me to do. My family will come for me, I'm sure of it," Karin cried out.

"Don't be such a fool. You have no right to be asking something like that. Freedom doesn't exist for a thing like you," the stranger told her, forcing Karin on her feet. He turned to Yuriya, ignoring his struggling prey. "Yuriya, you take ta human. If the Pushuke insists on actin' troublesome…"  
He ran his thumb across his throat in a language Junko understood only too well.

"Uncle…" Yuriya murmured, before moving towards Junko. At once Junko tried to kick her, sending Yuriya flying back. This sent the uncle in an even worse mood. He let go of Karin, stepping over to Junko with a snarl. He picked her up by the wrists with one hand, not even sweating at the effort. Before Junko knew what was happening, she was thrown over his shoulder.

"Mmmfffmm!" she protested. Apart from the fact that the man's shoulder was extremely bony, they had no right interfering with her rescuing mission. If things continued like this, Ren was sure to scold her. She let out a cry of indignation when the man slapped her ass.

"You use a cloak to cover up ta Pushuke," He commanded Yuriya. As he walked towards the door, Junko squeezed her eyes shut. The man's shoulder kept hurting her stomach as he walked. When she opened her eyes she glared at Yuriya, partly because that's what the girl deserved and partly because she needed to focus on something. Throwing up didn't seem very convenient.

When they walked past the reception this uncle character didn't even flinch when he threw a bat at the receptionist. As they walked Karin cried, saying the names of everyone she knew out loud. Junko fought against her own tears. She didn't want to feel this helpless. She'd come here to save Karin, and now she was just as much a captive as the girl was.

The cold struck her the moment they walked outside. For a moment she was thankful for the long-sleeved light sweater Anju had forced her in that morning.  
"Just hope Bridget won't make us wait," The vampire said against nobody in particular. When Junko threw her legs around in an attempt to make him let go of her, he nearly dropped her face-first on the ground. "Keep quiet!" he ordered her, before placing her back on his shoulder.

Junko didn't know how long they were waiting, but she knew she was sick of it. She had to keep focusing on being angry, or she'd be reduced to the same crying mass as Karin. She was the adult in this situation. She had to keep it together.

She thought she heard Karin say Usui's name. That was right before a truck stopped near them. As the uncle guy turned to see the new arrival, Junko's face was turned away from the scene. She resisted the urge to start kicking about again. Whoever had just arrived, they sounded extremely happy to see Karin.

"She's it? For really real? She's the Pushuke?" At least it sounded like a woman. Maybe they would be lenient? That was before she remembered Elda's existence. Odds of getting out of this alive probably weren't that likely to depend on the kidnapper's gender in this case.

"What are you going to do with Maaka?" Usui's voice sounded from behind her. Junko felt her heart jump for a second. Being saved by a teenage boy might have not been her plan, but as long as there was a rescue underway she didn't give a damn.

"What's this disgusting little insect doing here?" the voice that had been extremely cheery just now had taken a turn for below zero temperatures. It would seem that Bridget clearly wasn't a big fan of humans. Just her luck. Sounds of a battle started to sound. Judging from the way the 'uncle' was moving, he thought it was pretty hilarious.

When Usui cried out in pain, Junko was nearly toppled from the man's shoulder. "Keep still!" she tried to snap at him. Of course she didn't succeed in making any understandable noises again.

Now she had missed another important piece of action. It sounded like Bridget had undone the cloak securing Karin, and had gotten a slap in the face from the normally gentle girl. Mentally Junko cheered Karin on. They wouldn't be taken without a fight. Well, Karin wouldn't. Junko was still figuring out how she could do anything without being dropped on the ground face-first.

"Young lady, it would seem ta human is ta Pushuke's lover," The man explained to Bridget.

"HER LOVER? And who is that, Glark?" Bridget cried out in anger.

Finally Junko was granted a look on Bridget. With her light-colored hair and big eyes, the woman could have been exceedingly pretty. If she hadn't looked ready to chew her way through the truck she had brought.

"This? Seems like she's important to ta Pushuke, so we brought her along," Glark explained to her.

Bridget quickly scanned over Junko, and decided she wasn't a threat she turned back to Karin. "What you're doing is wrong! If a vampire and a human have children, they end up with trash like that!" she yelled, pointing at Yuriya.

If Junko's mouth hadn't been tied, she would have launched into another argument with them about why they shouldn't meddle in someone's love life.

In one supple pace, Bridget threw away Karin, wrapping an arm around Usui's neck. "If it's going to be like this… you better come along with us, Pushuke. Or both measly little insects will be dying."

Usui cried out to Karin that she shouldn't do it. Junko started flailing her legs around again as well, not willing to be used like this. Glark let her slide in front of him, grabbing her around the waist. Junko didn't pay attention, she just kept shaking her head like mad.

"I… I'll go," Karin said.

"Kwain," Junko tried to spit around the gag. She was rewarded by a slap in the face from Glark.

"But if you hurt Usui-kun, I'll kill myself by biting of my tongue!" Karin promised them. Those words were enough to let Bridget drop the boy to the ground with a huge smile on her face.

"Of course!" she exclaimed.

"Maaka, you can't do this!" Usui cried out. Junko nodded her head in agreement to that statement, before she was grabbed around the neck by Glark. She was forced to watch as Karin said her final goodbyes to Usui, before she was sedated with chlorophorm.

"Well, what da ya know, the human drug worked," Glark said in glee.

"Why didn't you use it on the other insect?" Bridget asked, looking at a struggling Junko. The woman let a hand slide through Junko's black hair, before gripping it firmly. "We're taking this thing with us too?" she asked.

"Ya did promise not ta hurt the brat," Glark answered. "If she starts actin' up again, we just tell her we'll kill her friend. That oughta keep her quiet."

Junko was carried to the truck, together with an unconscious Karin. Deciding keeping still didn't matter anymore she fought every step of the way, making the vampires even pant a little bit. When the gag slid away from her, she started to scream profanities at the vampires. Her screaming was interrupted when she was thrown inside, but even after that she kept it up.

"- and if you suckers even think I'll keep quiet, you have another thing coming, you sorry excuses for leeches! Someone should have grabbed a stake and-"

"Much better," Glark said after he had retied the gag. "Sure is a spirited one."

The truck started moving. Junko felt the first tears spring up in her eyes. She had set out to help, and she had only succeeded in making things worse. The inside of the truck was dark and smelt of dust and oil. Bridget started screaming when someone suddenly stabbed a traffic sign through the back of the truck.

"JUNKO!" That was Ren's voice! She tried to yell his name back, not bothering to keep back the tears now. Ren had found them!

"Looks like the youngster from the Maaka family managed to break through the barrier. Totally forgot about the brat," Glark said, earning him a well-earned kick from Junko. Nobody called her boyfriend a brat.

"No problem, we already made our getaway," Bridget said in a singsong voice, giving Junko a slap in retaliation for kicking her accomplice.

Bats swarmed out of the truck in great numbers. For a moment Junko could see Ren's golden eyes peer inside the truck. Their eyes met in that second, before he was thrown from the moving vehicle. "REN!" Junko cried out, the first word she'd managed to speak despite the gag.

Ren had to watch the truck drive away without him. He spat on the ground, wanting to run after it. Junko had been crying, and those bastards were the cause of it! At least he'd been able to sneak Genji on there. He ran a hand across his face, feeling the scratches made by the paws of innumerable bats.

Junko had been crying. That alone would have been enough to dishearten him. But then they just had to take his little sister as well.

"Don't cry too long, Junko." Tears had never suited her. "I'll find you… my love."


	25. Building Up

|Brownrick Castle|

There was a special place in hell reserved for Bridget, that was one thought that passed the revue quite often in Junko's mind. Not that there was a lot to do except thinking when someone got locked in a coffin.

"Just put the insect in there, then we won't have to worry about it," The vampire woman had said, before turning away to check on Karin. Junko kicked the inside of the coffin again, just for good measure. If it had been possible she would have kicked her way out of the damn thing. No wonder Ren didn't like sleeping in them, the fit was claustrophobic.

She didn't know how long she had been inside. If Glark hadn't thought about making some air holes she would probably have suffocated to death. Now she had merely drifted into an uneasy sleep, standing up in the coffin, before waking up sweaty and thirsty. "Damn it!" she tried to splutter around the gag, kicking the lid of the coffin again.

She nearly dropped out of the coffin with the motion when someone undid the lid without a warning. Even so Karin still had to stop her from actually falling on the ground.

"Junko, are you all right?" the girl asked, untying the gag in Junko's mouth as soon as she could.

Junko was too exhausted to be snide. Instead she readily accepted the bottle of water Yuriya was holding out, bringing it to her mouth. "Those idiots… not everybody can be locked in a coffin like that," She muttered, wiping her mouth. She really was sweaty… eewww…

"I brought you some wet wipes," Yuriya said, offering a box of them. "Along with that special lunch you were screaming about to my uncle."

With a glare Junko accepted, starting to wipe of the sweat with a generous helping of the moist tissues. It helped, but nowhere near how a bath or shower could have fixed this. "Karin," She started, nearly sending the girl in a stupor. Seemed like being in this place for only a day was enough to give her the chills as well. "How are you? Did they hurt you?"

Karin shook her head, hands on her knees. Sitting on the ground she accepted a sandwich from Yuriya, hands trembling. Crying seemed to be the nearest action, instead of the usual ready smile she always had ready. Yuriya sat down as well, clearly not happy about Junko being unbound.

"Of course they wouldn't hurt her. She's their precious medicine. And if Karin co-operates then they'll just let her go back home.'," The last sentence betrayed that Yuriya didn't entirely believe what Bridget claimed. "And it's a pain for me to have to guard Karin all day."

"Don't you have to guard me as well?" Junko asked, picking some bits of the special vegetarian sandwich she'd gotten.

Yuriya's gaze this time was less open. "They don't care about that. Even if you escape, there is nobody who will believe your story about vampires in the old castle in the forest. The only reason you're useful here is so that they have some leverage over Karin. As long as they have her, nobody can do anything."  
Yuriya's eyes flashed sharply from underneath her glasses. "Are you going to abandon her now? Now that you know you can just walk free?"

Junko took her time, drinking some water. Calm. Collected. She couldn't let anyone push her into things. Everything she could take control over, she would.  
"Of course I'm not going. Somebody here needs to stand up for Karin. As her new big sister, I can't allow anybody to harm her."

"Junko!" Karin cried out, rushing into the woman's arms. Junko stroked the sobbing girl's hair, uttering soothing words as she started to sob.

"Those are brave words, but it's useless," Glark said, standing in the doorway. That probably meant the sun had gone down. "I already made a call ta Henry, making clear that it's useless to come after us. He's a smart man, he knows it's better to protect the children he still has than ta risk everything for one daughter who was doomed anyway."

He raised himself, stepping towards the crying Karin. Yuriya had gone quiet the moment the man entered the room, once again becoming a silent witness for his sake. Glark hardly seemed to notice.  
"Come on then, Bridget wants to talk with ta Pushuke."

Slap.

Glark's head twisted to the side with the impact of the slap. Stupefied he looked down at Junko, who tried her very best not to soothe her sore hand. It felt like she had just slapped a statue. She forced herself to look into his eyes.  
"Karin. That's her name, and that is how you will address her," She stated, calm on the outside. On the inside it felt as if her heart were pounding in her ears, sending hot shivers down her spine. Karin had gone completely stiff, her fingers digging into Junko's thighs.

"Oh?" Glark said, raising himself to his full length. "And what makes ya think that you can order me around?" he asked, grabbing Junko by the hair. She hissed as he dragged her up like that, Karin letting go of Junko instead of hanging on and causing her more pain. "Well, little miss human?"

"You're just a lackey… shorty," Junko lashed out. She'd always known her quick tongue would one day be the end of her. The way the vampire looked at her, blinking as if he couldn't comprehend her words, made her feel as if she had somehow mumbled. "Did I stutter?" she continued. She knew she wasn't being smart, but she had been frightened enough times in her life. After the incident with Tanaka, she had made a silent vow to herself she would never be so meek again.  
"You're just a monkey to Bridget. No matter what she gives you, it'll always be the scraps that she doesn't-"

She was cut off when Glark slammed her against the wall. Junko thought she heard something crack, and hoped it wasn't what she thought it was. Her flimsy plan would be over with if that had been broken.  
"Don't overestimate yourself, ya puny thing. When it comes down to it, you are nothing more than food ta us." His hand snuck towards her throat, to peel away the sweater hiding her skin away. "Maybe I should remind you of that."

Junko tried to kick him between the legs, but the next slam against the wall was enough to get her groggy. His cool fingers peeled away the black sweater, and before she knew it he had his free hand squeezing her mouth.  
"Who bit ya? Which one here bit ya this much?" he demanded of her, his eyes roving over the puncture marks in her neck.

She breathed heavily, trying to reach her toes on the ground. No matter if the man was short, he lifted her high enough by the hair to still leave her helpless. The roots of her hair burned, and he'd probably yanked out more than a few hairs.  
"Not all vampires think of me as just food. And I'm sure he'll be here soon to save me and his sister."

"Wanna bet about that?" Glark asked her, lowering her to the ground. A red mark was visible on his right cheek. Junko hoped it would sting for a long time.

"I don't take bets when it's obvious I'm going to win," She replied, dusting herself off theatrically.

"Really?" Glark asked, a smirk spreading on his face. It was obvious he was dead bored and would take anything that offered a small reprise of that emotion. "Ya can choose, whatever ya want."

"Fine. They'll have us rescued within the week," Junko said, folding her arms over one another. From the corner of her eye she saw Yuriya gaping with an open mouth, Karin with pretty much the same expression. "If they do, you're going to eat an extra-large serving of Yoshinoya's garlic beef bowl, with extra leek."

Glark took on an expression that seemed as if even the word garlic drained the life out of him. Garlic didn't actually kill vampires, but thanks to their good noses they stayed well clear of it. The same went for leek. "I can't do that, that stuff stinks!" And most likely a helping that big would leave him incapacitated for at least a week.

Junko shrugged. "You're the one that wanted to make a bet. Take it or leave it. I'm saying it only takes my man a week to get here."

Glark smirked. "That's impossible. It's just a brat, no way he'll be here that fast." He started to pull her towards the coffin. "Fine, I'll take the bet. But if he doesn't get here within a week, starting tonight, then ya'll be having fun servin' as my food for the rest of your life."

Glark slammed the coffin shut, leaving Junko in darkness. She heard him say something to Yuriya, and finally drew another breath. Her heart hammered in her chest. It was risky, but necessary. This way he would at least believe she was planning on staying put, waiting for Ren.  
She traced the outline of the little square in her pants. She still had time to collect more of those, and as soon as she could, she would get both herself and Karin out of there. They were underestimating her because she was human. And that would give her a chance.

|Maaka Residence|

Elda walked out of the door, unnoticed by Carrera or Anju. She could smell where her grandson and her son had left for. Even though it had been decided that the women should stay behind and maintain the barrier around their home, Elda had no intention of waiting around for news. Her darling granddaughter was in danger, and her beloved son and grandson had gone to save her.

On top of that, two humans had also joined in on the rescue. That Usui boy had left with the men, claiming he could sense where Karin was thanks to being injected with her blood. And Junko had apparently been taken captive while going out to rescue Karin. Elda had expected the girl to go out and help, especially after all her shouting how much she cared for the Maaka family. She hadn't thought that she would be caught however. No matter, saving one person or saving two probably didn't differ that much.

And Elda had grown a soft spot for Junko in her heart. It had been hard not to, considering it was her own grandson who had chosen the girl. Of course she wouldn't be able to say it out loud. Just not killing the girl would be her special token of affection for the time being.

|End of Shiihaba line|

"That's as far as we'll be able to go," Henry said, looking up at the sky. The first hint of pink was already mixing with the dark blue. "'If we can keep this pace up, we should reach the Brownrick castle in just three days."

"Good," Ren commented, looking as if he was hungry. Sadly enough he couldn't go spend the night at some woman's place, instead being forced to share a room with two other men. Not that he was tempted much; one thought about trying to explain that to his girlfriend sent shivers down his spine. He didn't doubt for a second that right now she was torturing her captors any way she could. The thought made him proud.

"The girls are fine," Ren told the other two men. "Though I can't have my bat spying around too much, if they catch him they'll probably kill him." And that would send Junko into tears. She'd gotten quite attached to her little bat. Sometimes he felt a bit jealous about the little stinker.

"Good. Usui-kun, how about you? Still feel like we're on the right track?" Henry asked their human companion.

Usui nodded, scratching the back of his neck. Traveling during the night was something he wasn't accustomed to, but given his current company he didn't have much of a choice. More importantly, every moment they dallied might be the moment that they would kill Karin. Even if the Maaka family seemed to be certain that they were waiting for the moment Karin's blood had refilled, he couldn't be sure.

As they made their way to the motel, Ren took a quick peek through Genji. The bat had hidden himself underneath a gutter, giving a wide view of the forest and smoke trails of the nearby village. Ren would have killed for a chance to see Junko. Just then the door underneath the bat opened.

Ren adjusted his step. Looking through the eyes of a bat while walking wasn't exactly easy but he didn't want to waste a chance to be able to listen a bit.

"Your cheek looks pretty swollen, Glark," One voice said. Ren didn't recognize any of the two men, but that wasn't a surprise. He had never been to one of the vampire meetings, which was the only place vampires ever met others of their kind.

"It does?" the other man asked, sounding surprised. Over a foot shorter than the other man, he touched his cheek and started laughing. "It's ta Pushuke's friend, she slapped me. Don't let her get too close ta ya, or she'll try ta scratch your eyes out."

Of course Junko would. No woman Ren ever picked would be timid when people she cared about were in danger.

"What did you do to her? Can't imagine you letting her get away with something like that." The other man sounded surprised, making Ren grit his teeth. If that Glark had laid a hand on Junko, he'd-

"I was planning on sucking her dry. Then I saw she already had bite marks. And when I say marks, I mean marked," Glark said, laughing. "'Seems like ta Maaka runt likes her a lot. I ended up making a bet with her."

Ren waved goodbye to his father, who was going out to search for some food. Judging from the way Henry looked at his son, Ren wouldn't be surprised if his father brought him back something to eat as well. He shook his head absently towards the Usui kid, continuing to listen in.

"If that guy she's so crazy about manages ta make it here in less than a week, she wins. If he doesn't, I get ta drink her dry," Glark said, gloating.

"She accepted that?" the other guy sounded surprised.

"Well, I didn't say it like that ta her. I made it sound like she'd live a bit longer, but yeah… once this Pushuke business if over, I get ta drink my fill." The man sounded absolutely confident that he would win that bet.

Ren shook his head, chuckling. When the Usui kid asked him what was so funny all of a sudden, he started to laugh even harder. It had been two days since the women had been taken, and they had covered half the distance already. Ren wouldn't even need an entire week, just two or three more days and he'd be there. Junko had been way too generous with her calculations.  
The day after tomorrow, they would arrive. And that night, the people who had stolen both his sister and his lover had better duck for cover.

|Brownrick Castle|

"That was a very dangerous thing you did, challenging uncle like that," Yuriya chided her, handing over the vegetarian sandwich packet. She had been complaining about what a hassle it was, finding that exact brand, but she had pulled through nonetheless. If Yuriya knew that right now she was playing a central part in Junko's escape plans, what would she say?

Junko hid her sudden grin in a bite of her sandwich. "I don't know what you're so worried about. From what I have seen, vampires could do with a bit more challenge. Let's be honest here, they don't think that highly of me, and you're not high on the social grace list either."

Yuriya looked a bit sour at that remark, taking a sip from her yoghurt drink to refrain from having to answer that. Junko left out the part where the vampires in this specific family were planning on draining Karin dry. That would only add unneeded emotion to the girl's misery. So far they had fared quite well. Karin didn't cry any more than she usually did, and Junko was still working on her rather flimsy escape plan. Of course Karin played her own role in that as well.

She gave a smile to the girl, who reciprocated uncertainly. Junko knew Karin's blood had increased considerably thanks to her tearful goodbye with Usui. She suspected she herself would have also given quite a rise to blood levels, had it not been for Ren's bite marks in her neck. But that certain condition played right in her cards at the moment.

Thinking her plan over, she stroked a finger over her back pocket, now feeling two little bumps in there. Would she be willing to brave it already?

There was of course the matter where she would have to convince Karin to bite her. That would probably be the hardest part, if she managed to get that far. She remembered the story about how Usui's mother had suddenly gained almost superhuman strength thanks to Karin's bite. If Karin could somehow give Junko that effect, that would already solve half her problem.

"I think that in the coming days the vampires of this castle will learn that they shouldn't be so high and mighty," Junko stated gently. Yuriya raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Once Ren and the others come here to save us, in a while. According to Glark, a week might just be cutting it."

She had a week to make that escape. They wouldn't expect her to run away after making such a fuss about that bet. She licked some sauce from her fingers, silently cursing the infernal carrots they always insisted in putting in sandwiches like these. And her other hand slowly traced the other part of her escape in her back pocket, her mind racing.

The Brownrick vampires would find that a human could end up being more than they bargained for.


	26. I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> |Note : Apparently molars are the back teeth we use for grounding our food. I did not know that. Did you?|

|Brownrick Castle|

Great, locked in the coffin. Again. Not that she was into bondage, but would it kill them from tying her up and leaving her to lie down somewhere? Sleeping while being in an upright position was not convenient at all. Junko let out a huge sigh. Another day had passed, and she felt drained emotionally. Being held captive wasn't exactly a walk in the park, especially not when the only thing keeping her off the menu card were previous bite marks.

She let her hand trace the marks in her neck. Ren. She wondered what he was up to at the moment. Probably coming to rescue her, all the while complaining about how much work it was. With a little luck she'd be out of the castle, Karin included, before Ren came even near the place. She flinched when she could hear the door being slammed open.

"What does she want with the human anyway?" A man's voice asked loud enough for her to be able to hear. She thought his name was Andrew, but she couldn't be sure. Unlike Karin they had never bothered introducing her to the rest of the family.

"Seems like the Pushuke is giving her a lot of trouble. She needs a bit of leverage to make sure the girl co-operates." That voice belonged to Glark. No matter how much the man tried to deny it, he was Bridget's handyman.

So, Karin didn't want to do something for them? Atta girl. Still, that could mean there was trouble. She squeezed her eyes shut, forced to think quickly. Taking a quick decision, she grabbed one of the plastic packets from her pocket, shoving it in her mouth. She only had three of them. But she couldn't allow them to hurt Karin.

She blinked when the lid of the chest was opened. They hadn't bothered to bring lanterns, making it extremely hard for human eyes to see. Blindly she raised her hands up, only for them to be caught by the two men. She tried very hard to seem as inconspicuous as possible. Not a threat at all, just an ordinary human being practically dragged down the hallway by two vampires.

"You are being awfully quiet," Glark commented. In the dark of the night she could barely see him, just a contour where the little light there was was fragmented. "Cat got your tongue?"

When he reached out a hand to her, she made it look as if she was going to bite him. He yanked his hand back, laughing happily. Glark was the kind of guy that loved it when a girl put up a fight. He even went as far as to pat the side of her head, as if soothing some kind of beloved pet! He was rewarded for the affection with a swift kick in the shins.

"I won't!" Karin screeched. Junko lifted her head, towards the light that came from a flickering candle. Seemed like they weren't opposed to giving Karin at least the option not to stumble around in the dark. Bridget held the young girl firmly by the arm, seemingly very tired with the entire business.

"It's not like you have a choice," She explained, slowly and as friendly as she could. "We can't afford your bloodline to die out, Pushuke. It's only your duty to future generations of vampires, to ensure that later on our race won't die out." Bridget pulled Karin closer to her, stroking the girl's hair. She ignored the tears of distress and pain running down her face. "Don't worry, Andrew will be as gently with you as he can, for as long as necessary."

Junko was halted by the two men, stopping two steps away from Bridget and her captive. The woman aimed her predatorial eyes on the new arrival. "After all, it's in your best interest that you have a child as soon as possible. For you and for your friend here."

Karin looked at Junko, eyes widening. Junko on the other hand frowned. What the hell were these guys planning on doing with Karin? She moved the packet in her mouth to the side with her tongue, so she'd be able to say something. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Bridget's eyes narrowed, her mouth slightly twitching. "The bug still dares to speak to me. Glark, you told me she was behaving better." Glark shrugged, obviously not caring about when Junko opened her mouth.

"Forcing Karin to do this is no better than rape!" Junko shouted, struggling against the hands that were holding her.

Bridget seemed genuinely surprised at that statement. "But it is. The Pushuke only exists to give it's life to vampires. It's only natural that she should give us a child before she dies. It's always been the fate of a Pushuke." She turned back to Karin, her hands framing the girl's face. "What do you say, Pushuke? Will you be nice to Andrew? Or don't you care what happens to your friend?"

That was it. Infuriated Junko down hard on the packet in her mouth. When it didn't rip immediately she ground her molars together, destroying the packaging. She could worry about swallowing plastic later on. Tears sprang to her eyes when she tasted the concentrated flavor. She bumped her head to the right, forcing Andrew to turn his face towards her in surprise.

"Wha-" the vampire started, before the scent of concentrated garlic hit him right in the face. With a start he let go of her, dropping to the floor as he gagged. Glark yanked Junko close to him, looking at his family member in surprise.

"Andrew, the heck are ya-" Glark too was cut off when the odor pervaded his nostrils, causing him to tremble violently. "Ya bitch!" he managed to gasp, before Junko brought up her knee between his legs.

"What's going on?" Bridget screamed, not knowing why the men were both dropping to their knees, although the cause seemed to be a lot clearer in Glark's case. She grabbed Junko by the wrist. "You stupid little human," She said, grabbing Junko by the top of her sweater, bringing her face closer to her own. "What are you smiling about?"

Junko kept up her grin, not believing Bridget had granted her this easy opening. "You," she replied, breathing out as much air as possible. Panicking Bridget let go, the attack on her senses too much for her. Junko understood a bit of it. The taste was so concentrated it brought tears to her eyes.

"Karin, let's go." She looked behind her. Both men were already struggling back up, ready to capture them once again. Karin nodded, following Junko's footsteps as they started to run. Junko panted, releasing little clouds of garlic scent behind them as they moved.

"What did you do to them?" Karin asked her as they stopped to gain their bearings.

"Concentrated garlic sauce. I made Yuriya get me those vegetarian sandwiches because they add those sauce packets for people who need a little extra kick." The newspaper she worked for had once done a feature on the best food to bring to work or on the train. Thanks to the garlic seasoning in a separate package the sandwiches had scored highly. "Though it doesn't seem like it stops them for very long. Come on!"

They started to move again, trying to find a way out of the castle that didn't involve jumping out of a window. Sadly enough Karin had not been allowed anywhere near the exit. Tears were still pouring down the girl's face.

"Not good," Junko muttered, coming to a screeching halt. Voices could be hear from the coming corridor, and if she wasn't mistaking Bridget was coming from the other side, swearing bloody murder.

Karin was the one to take the initiative this time, giving Junko a shove in the nearest room. Before Junko could react Karin was placing a closet in front of the door, combined with whatever other furniture she could find.

Looking around, Junko could see they were in a bathroom. Outside of the door Bridget was screaming at them and at the other vampires, furious that the Pushuke had managed to get away. Though she seemed to be forgetting Junko's part in it for now, she didn't think her luck would last. If Bridget got her hands on Junko now, she probably wouldn't last five minutes.

Junko let out a shaky laugh, looking down on her hands. "Guess I messed up our escape a little bit."

Karin fell to her knees, clasping her hands around Junko. "No, no, don't say that. If it weren't for you, I'd… they'd… Junko, thank you! Thank you!"

Junko pulled the younger girl in her arms and started to cry. Breaking down like this wasn't part of the plan, but she couldn't be strong for much longer now. She felt as if she had failed the young girl, as if she had failed Ren. Just for now, she would cry. Later on, she would get back to thinking how they were going to survive this.

|The Next Night|

"Maaka-san? Akane-san?" Yuriya's voice sounded from the other side of the door. Both captives turned their face towards the door, keeping quiet.  
"I know you can hear me," the half-vampire continued. "Is talking like this… okay with you?" the girl even sounded shy.

Junko and Karin shared a glance, before Junko finally nodded her head. "O-okay," Karin said, crouching near the door.

"Uhmm… My uncle and the others went out," Yuriya announced, hesitantly. "Right now there's only Bridget and me. So, that will make it slightly easier to talk, yes?" When no answer came, Yuriya continued. "Maaka-san, when I brought you here, I never meant for anything bad to happen to you. I did however want to stop you and Usui-kun from being together. And there is the fact that Uncle is the one who requested it from me."

Of course the girl was infatuated with Glark. Junko should have seen it coming.

"Even if you and Usui-kun want to be together, that will only result in more children like me. In that case, nothing is better than anything when you ask me. W-When I was in middle school, I was left with only the dead bodies of my mother and father. I got so angry. I didn't know what my purpose was, and I was cursed with this strange body. That's why I wanted to avoid there being more people with my fate."  
Even through the door they could hear Yuriya's shaky breath as she continued. Even Junko was now listening intently, even though she had grown to dislike the girl even more recently.  
"But I was ignoring the feelings you have for each other. That's why I want to say… sorry."

The speech had unleashed a new flood of tears from Karin. Even in a hostage situation Junko wondered how the girl's tear glands could keep up with it all. "I thought you hated me, Tachibana-san. I thought you'd never want to speak with me again."

"Maaka-san, Akane-san!" Junko was startle by the pounding of fists on the door. "Let's run away from here together!"

Now Junko got up from her sitting position. "Are you serious?" she shouted back through the door. Something as convenient as this… was it possible?

"Yes! Right now, only Bridget is in the castle, and she was in her room when I last saw her! Let's leave!" Yuriya answered.

"Give us a moment," Junko shouted back. She hunched next to Karin, placing a hand on the girl's hot cheek. "Karin… I know things are difficult right now. But I need to ask you a very important favor. Please bite me."

Karin looked at her, wide-eyed and fearful. "Bite… Junko? But why?"

Junko considered her words in her head. "Because… I need it to help us escape." Karin continued to look extremely bewildered. "When you bit Usui's mother, she became stronger for a little while, yes?"

Karin nodded, blushing fiercely. Junko smoothed back the girl's hair, trying to calm her down. "If you bite me there's a chance I too will become stronger. Lend me your strength, Karin. I want to see you safe."

"But you're my brother's- you're almost like my own sister, Junko!"

Junko pressed a kiss on Karin's head, still trying to calm her down. "That's okay. Because I want to help a member of my precious family escape. Please help me to do that, Karin."

For a minute all was quiet, except for Karin's fiddling with her fingers and Yuriya's pleas to hurry up with whatever they were doing. When Karin finally gave a nod, Junko revealed the left side of her neck, where Ren had bitten her the least.

Karin's hands trembled when they reached for Junko's shoulders. Junko steadied her by holding her hands, gently letting her head to the side a little bit. Thanks to Ren she knew how to facilitate biting. Karin's breath was hot against her neck, the girl trembling with anxiety. Junko patted the girl's hair, murmuring soothing words.  
For a moment she forgot how to breathe. Karin's injected blood felt warmer than her own body, hotter than should be possible. Like when Ren bit her, it felt good, but very different.

Once she was released, Karin immediately asked her if she was okay. Junko nodded, feeling the blood run down from her neck. The girl was sloppier than Ren. "Now we're ready to go." Did she already feel different? Maybe, but there was no time for checking on that.

She handed Karin one of the garlic packages. "If they catch you, eat that and just breathe on them. It should buy you a little time."

They removed their barricade, meeting Yuriya outside the room. "Took you long enough," The girl commented, looking around. "Let's go."

Junko insisted on taking the front, in case she had developed some super power. It would be nice if she could smack Glark in the face with something that resembled vampire strength. They moved as quick as they could, without raising noise. At a certain moment they could hear footsteps coming from around the corner. Lifting an eyebrow to Yuriya, the girl responded by raising her hands and shaking her head. She didn't know who it was.

Junko took a deep breath, clutching her remaining garlic packet in one hand. It would all come down to her at this moment. She could do it.

Swinging her fist in front of her she jumped on the person who was rounding the corner. Thanks to the impact they tumbled to the ground, her fall being broken by the vampire underneath her. With a grunt the man tried to pry her away, but it seemed like she had gotten stronger by quite a bit.

"Akane-san?" that voice… it belonged to the Usui boy. Surprised Junko looked up, towards the boy who was looking down at her in a way that suggested he was extremely surprised to see her.

"Junko… I'm happy to see you to, but I wasn't expecting that kind of welcome." Looking down to see the man she was sitting on, Junko was delighted to discover her very own Ren. Without words she pressed a first kiss on his lips.

"Ren." Kiss. "I was so, so scared." Another kiss. "I'm so happy to see you." Before she could continue talking, Ren grabbed the back of her head, pulling her down for a long kiss. Gods, how she had missed him. The feeling of his hands, his scent, the way he managed to comfort her just by being.

Someone coughed. They broke out of their kiss, both looking at a very red Usui who didn't feel very comfortable at the sight. Before they could say anything Yuriya screamed.

Rolling off Ren, Junko saw Bridget who was holding Yuriya by the throat. "I should have known a despicable half-breed like you would betray us," The woman said, pushing her long hair back with her free hand. "But I would never have thought you'd steal my Pushuke."

Yuriya struggled, her legs kicking in the air helplessly. Her hands tried to break Bridget's grip, but it was obvious she was no match for true vampire strength. That was the moment Karin surprised everyone.

"Bridget," She started, turning to the woman with a hand pressed to her chest. "I'm sorry for trying to run away. Please put down Tachibana-san, and I'll never try to escape after today."

"Karin!" both Junko, Ren and Usui yelled out.

Bridget looked at Karin with a sweet smile. "That's nice to hear, but I can't let this go unpunished."

Karin took a step towards the vampire, halving the distance between them. "Please let her go," She pleaded again. Yuriya was dropped to the ground with a thud, tears stinging in her eyes.

"I can never deny something to my Pushuke," Bridget announced, spreading her arms wide for a hug. Karin stepped inside her arms, bringing her hand up to Bridget's nose. The woman at once gagged, stepping backwards in an attempt to get away from her prize.

"Did you just?" Junko asked out loud.

Karin showed the broken packet in her hand proudly. "Concentrated garlic."

"Boy, get my sister out of here quickly. It's almost daybreak, so they won't be able to catch you. GO!" he shouted the last part when Karin seemed hesitant to leave. He looked back at Bridget with a murderous look, which the woman couldn't catch thanks to being hunched over. "I have unsettled business here."

He helped Junko to her feet, prepared to stop towards the woman and give her a piece of his mind. Junko stopped him. Showing him the last remaining garlic packet she grinned. "To be honest, I was saving this for her."

Ren chuckled, ignoring Bridget who was already lamenting her defeat. Junko raised a hand to the side of his face. "It'll be light out soon. And I know I passed some bedrooms earlier on."

He kissed her, slowly. "I'm so happy you're safe, Junko. My love." He grabbed her in his arms, squeezing her so tight she thought she couldn't breathe. It didn't matter, it was Ren who was holding her like this. Their eyes met. Hands started to entangle. With a shaky sigh she rested her head against his shoulder, so happy that she was safe at last.

"I love you so much."


	27. Midnight Kiss

|Maaka Residence, Two Weeks Later|

"We're home!" Junko shouted cheerily, throwing the double entrance doors wide open. Standing right next to her was Ren, hands shoved in his pockets. He still couldn't keep the smile from his face. He gave Junko a pat on the head, admonishing her to be quieter.

"Junko!" Karin called out to her, rushing into her friend's arms. Junko caught the girl with a laugh, attempting to swing her around. Failing they bumped into Ren, who held the both of them upright with ease.

"I can never have an easy moment, can I?" he asked, trying to frown. He succeeded, somewhat. Until Junko grabbed him by the collar, pulling him down for a kiss.

"You big, grumpy vampire," She said, full affection."

"Kyaah! So passionate!" Karin said, slapping her hands to her cheeks. 

The group was startled by Anju, who welcomed them home with a smile as well. "You're late. We were worried that the Brownricks had somehow gotten revenge on the both of you."

"We got… side-tracked," Junko explained with a blush as she scratched her cheek. Ren helped her out of her light coat, his expression unreadable. As she did so, the side of her neck became exposed, showing one set of bite marks that hadn't lessened at all. When Karin pointed them out, Junko shrugged.

"No need to worry about that. After all, it isn't like I have any bad aftereffects. And Ren says I taste just fine." A tinge of pride colored her voice when she made that remark.

"Of course a good girl like you does!" A cheery voice suddenly sounded in her ears. Frail arms circled around Junko, grabbing her in a hug that would make a boa constrictor feel jealous. Long pinkish bit of hair made their way into her field of vision, adding more proof to who the person assaulting her at the moment was.

"Elda!" Junko choked out. Elda pulled her face close, surprising Junko by pressing a kiss on her cheek.

"I came back as soon as I could!" Elda announced. "I thought those Brownricks would be more of a problem, but I had them whipped into submission pretty quick. Don't worry Junko, I even gave them some extra punishment for what they did to you," The vampire woman added, giving Junko an affectionate pinch before switching over to Karin.

Junko massaged her throat, glad to be released from that death grip. She didn't know if she preferred an affectionate Elda all that much. She just barely managed to grab a disc flying through the air, grabbing at it in a panic. "What's this?" she asked, surprised.

Elda looked at her with a smile as if she was a cat with a barrel of unguarded cream as she hugged Ren's arm tightly. "That Glark… once I punched him around a bit he told me about the bet you guys made. I didn't waste any time in making him complete it, and I even figured out how to film it! That will really be something nice to watch, as often as we want."

Junko smiled at that comment. Elda hadn't changed one bit. Carrera and Henry finally made their way to the entrance as well. "Oh, it seems like everybody finally made their way back," Carrera said, looking positively shocked when Elda hugged her as well.

"It's good to see that everybody came back from our little adventure without too much harm, isn't it?" Henry said, scratching the back of his head with a smile on his face. He looked at the teddy bear that Anju had managed to sneak into his mother's arms, but didn't comment on it. Junko noted that it was the same bear she had given Anju on the first day she had come into the house, but she didn't know why Elda was holding it at the moment.

Everybody chattered happily, energy spreading all across the room. Junko couldn't contain her laughter, talking excitedly along with the others. Suddenly Elda snuck an arm around her shoulders, pulling the girl closer.  
"Say, now that I've approved of your relationship, when are you going to give me a great-grandchild?" she asked with a grin.

"Wha-what? Not you too!" she cried out in anguish. She had finally gotten away from all the fertility-crazed vampires!

"I want a cute one, you hear me? A cute girl with your gorgeous hair, and with my eyes. And Ren's nose," Elda told her, tapping her nose with each requirement. "Or, or… a handsome boy, with Ren's eyes, and James's hair! That would be a real heart-breaker right there. Junko, show me some family pictures of your side of the family, I need to know how cute that child will be exactly."

"I don't think it works like that," Junko tried to interject when Ren suddenly swooped her up. She threw her arms around his neck with a soft yelp.

"Don't start harassing her again, grandmother," He told the older vampire as he started to walk away from her.

Elda immediately followed. "No, I want to play with Junko! Give her back to me, Ren!" She pleaded.

"I'm not a toy!" Junko cried out in mock anger. "Ren, run!" she told him. As her boyfriend obeyed a new round of mayhem spread in the Maaka house. For once the old house was filled with vibrant life.

|Fall|

"Karin, you'll be late for school!" Junko yelled up the stairs. The girl came bumbling down once again, managing to hit every part of the stairs in one way or another.

"Owwieee…" Karin complained, rubbing the top of her head. "That really hurt." She accepted her school bag from Junko gratefully, before getting back up to stand on her own two legs. "Oh, I probably won't be able to say goodbye to you, right?" she asked, standing in the doorway. The sun poured inside the house, the weather already cooling down.

Junko nodded, untying her apron. "Probably. We're leaving for the airport as soon as it's dark, since, well, you know," She smiled, referring to the fact that her boyfriend was after all a vampire. "But don't worry, we won't be gone for too long. We'll surely be back in time for your graduation."

"But that's still a whole school year away!" Karin cried out. "You'll come back in between those periods too, won't you? For New Year, and Christmas, and birthdays!"

Junko started to shove the girl outside the door with a good-natured smile. "Of course, of course we will. Maybe even sooner, if your grandmother indeed sneaks along with us on the plane." They wanted a vacation with just the two of them after all, not being encouraged by a much too energetic Elda.

"Junko…" Karin started, twiddling her fingers together, with a blush on her cheeks. "Are you sure it doesn't inconvenience you?" Her gaze was directed towards Junko's neck.

The woman put a hand to her neck, on the spot where Karin had bitten her all those months ago. The mark still hadn't faded, instead being just as prominent as ever. "No, I never even notice that it's there," she answered truthfully. "Don't worry about it Karin, all bite marks fade eventually. What about you? Any increases in your blood?"

Karin shook her head with a smile. "None at all." The facts were that Karin had not increased her blood once after she had given her final bite, to Usui Kenta. Just like the mark in Junko's neck, Kenta's showed no signs of disappearing any time soon. It worried the vampires in the house to some extent, but since they never complained about them – nothing a bit of concealer couldn't fix – they didn't really see what they should be doing about them. And besides, everybody knew they went away eventually.

Junko patted Karin on the head. "I guess you're just like me for now, huh?" Karin's life had hardly changed, apart from the fact that she didn't have her blood outbursts anymore. This had made life easier on the entire Maaka household and was one of the reasons they were prepared to let the couple leave on their vacation. The other one was that Ren would throw a fit if anything happened to his careful planning.

"You'll be late, slacker!" she admonished Karin, sending the girl on her way to school. "Get those knees up, Karin! Run!"

"Yeeeeesss!" Karin yelled back, indeed looking like she was putting in an effort to be on time.

Junko let out a deep sigh, feeling as if she was a mother who had just waved goodbye to her child. She let out a groan when she realized how much baggage she still needed to pack. At least she wouldn't have to worry about sun-screen on this specific vacation. With an excited giggle she shot to work.

|Two Months Later, Rome|

"Junko?" Ren asked, following the sound of her footsteps through the winding back streets. "It's not going to run away, Junko," He reminded her in exasperation. When his girlfriend had told him she loved art, he hadn't realized she actually meant LOVE.

"You never know!" she shouted back, peeking from behind a corner with a smile on her face. "What is somebody decides to steal it this very night?"

"I doubt people will steal something from a church in the middle of Rome," He answered her dryly, finally catching up with her. He grabbed the sleeve of her white cardigan, tracing a long finger across the back of her arm. She looked back at him with a smile, grabbing him by the hands.

"Oh ye of little imagination," She chided him gently. They passed a garden, hidden away on the crossing of four streets. "Pretty," She commented, wishing she had brought her camera with her. Of course she had forgotten one thing, and that just had to be her camera.

Without a word they mutually decided to walk through it, hands entwined. It was their last night in this city, before they would continue on. From here they would leave Italy, going instead to Spain. Junko was very adamant about having a romantic walk on the beach at night.

"Remind me again, after Spain it's…" he asked her, eyes latching on to her lips. He watched as she spoke, only hearing half of it.

"Portugal! I hear Lisbon is a wonderful city, and they're having a cultural night fast around that time. And after that-"

Ren's mind traced off as he moved his eyes from her lips across the line of her cheeks. After pausing a moment on that gorgeous neck of her he let his eyes drop lower. She was wearing that shirt he adored, the one with the gauze covering that wonderfully warm spot between her breasts.

"And then…" Junko said, placing a finger beneath his chin, guiding his attention back. She pressed a kiss on his lips before she continued. "Transylvania, of course."

He let out a groan. "I'm telling you, there's nothing of importance there." His hands slipped around her waist, pulling her down with him on a stone bench. In a practiced movement she gave him a kiss on his earlobe, slowly. She was sitting down in his lap, wiggling until she was perfectly comfortable. Naughty.

"Maybe," This time she kissed him on that sensitive spot just below his ear. She knew all too well how he would heat up if she kissed that particular spot when they were making love. "But I still want to check. After all, the more I know about vampires-" another kiss, longer, making her toes curl from pleasure. "- The better I'll be able to blend in," she continued, gasping for air.

She retaliated, slowly sliding her hand across his chest. Just before she would be reaching too low for decency she pulled back, kissing him on the nose. "And maybe we'll come across Dracula. Imagine if I'll be able to interview him."

Ren chuckled. "Hmmm, and maybe my sister will go a day in her life without tripping over her own feet," He said, running her black hair through his fingers. She was dangling one foot up and down in the air, creating a wonderful rhythm in his lap. He still had to ask something. "Say, Junko… I need to ask you something…" he started, not sure how she would react.

"Hmm?" she asked, inquiring. Her eyes seemed almost black in the night.

"Won't you miss the sunlight? If you stay with me?" he asked her. There was one place he would never be able to follow her. Into that wretched daylight that would burn him to a cinder if he should ever try that. But it wasn't fair of him to ask her to give it all up. He shouldn't ask her something like that. Even something like their vacation would be simpler if she didn't have to calculate the sunshine in.

He was surprised when she flicked his forehead. "What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the sore spot.

"For asking dummy questions," She chastised him, waving a finger in front of his nose. "Ren Maaka, if you think for one moment I would leave you for something as silly as having differing living patterns I'll kick you," she threatened. "And that's a very moot point either way. In case you haven't noticed, I live like a vampire most of my time now."

He let out a sigh, looking away. Junko grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to look at her. "I chose you, Ren. If I can live with Elda, I can also deal with living at night."

A clock started to chime in the distance. They counted the strokes together, Junko's arms wrapped around his neck. "Midnight," She announced happily. She pressed a kiss on his cheek, before surprising him by kissing him on the mouth. He returned the favor by slowly lowering her from his lap, until her back was resting on the stone bench, him hovering above her.

He got off, sitting on knees in front of her. She ran her fingers through his hair, a dreamy look on her face. "How could I ever want to trade you for anything in this world?" She said softly, love clearly audible in her voice. To Ren her fingers still felt like sunlight made solid, sending sparks of heat everywhere she touched.

He grabbed her hands in his own, allowing her to sit upright. Had he ever seen anything as breathtaking as Junko in the night? With eyes so dark brown they were black in this light, and hair that would suck up any light that touched it? His eyes were drawn to her lips again, just barely tinted from their previous kiss. He cleared his throat, not believing he was going to say this. Maybe he was losing his mind after all. Or love changed people more than he had ever been willing to believe.

"Junko Akane…" he started. Her mouth started to drop open a little bit when she realized what he was doing. "Don't look at me like that Junko, it's distracting me," he ordered her. She closed her mouth again, eyes still as big as they had been before.  
"Junko Akane… will you do this hard-headed vampire the honor of being his wife?" He shut his eyes closed at the last moment, rattling off the last few words as if they would get stuck in his throat otherwise.

This was scary. The seconds where she didn't say anything felt like they were costing him years of his life. Shouldn't she be saying something? Anything? How long was he supposed to wait for an answer? Was there a rule book for this kind of thing?

As he looked up he really started to panic. "Junko… don't cry!" He started to pat his pockets for a handkerchief. Anything would do. "Please don't cry, I'm sorry, Junko!" he started to ramble, and he knew it.

And suddenly he found himself tackled, arms around him as she started to cover him in kisses. He put his arms around her in a reflex, hoping she wasn't angry at him for asking. "Junko, are you alright?" he asked her, eyes wide in panic.

She nodded, catching his face between her hands. She kissed him, as deeply as she could in an attempt to convey her feelings for him. "Ren… my Ren…" she managed to say in between kisses. "Of course I will. Of course I'll marry you."

Suddenly Ren felt tears springing in his eyes as well. Dammit, that wasn't a manly reaction as well. "Don't scare me like that," He tried to say gruffly. It was hard to sound intimidating when he had a huge grin on his face. "Next time I ask you a question, don't start crying." He tried to ignore the tears stinging in his own eyes.

Junko kissed them away for him. "Yes," She answered him, again and again. Would there ever be any other answer to that kind of question from him? Was it a remote possibility? Junko thanked her lucky stars as Ren's cool hands encircled her waist, holding her close to him. He was firm underneath her, her Ren. Her heart felt like it was too big for her chest, nearly bursting from happiness.

"I do have one condition," She told him, smiling as she pressed a finger against his lips. He took her hand, pressing light kisses on her fingertips.

"Anything," He promised her. "Doesn't matter what you ask, I'll do it!" He entwined his fingers with hers, his golden eyes almost seeming liquid in the night.

She leant closer to him, resting her cheek against his. The night smelled of flowers and dew… and of Ren.  
"I want many, many more…" she said, pressing herself close against him. She imagined she could feel his heart beat against hers like this, almost in unison. "… more of these midnight kisses."


End file.
